The effects of hydrogen sulfide under sevoflurane administration against ischemia and reperfusion injury in isolated rat heart

Background: Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) produces a protective effect against myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. Sevoflurane, which is used for anesthesia in cardiac problem patients, also has a protective effect. This study is designed to reveal the effects of H2S under sevoflurane using rat hearts. Methods: The hearts were Langendorff-perfused, subjected to 30 minutes ischemia and 60 minutes reperfusion. Group I was a control group. The other groups were pretreated for 15 minutes before ischemia as follows: 1.6% sevoflurane for group S; 18.5 μM H₂S S for group H; and 1.6 % sevoflurane and 18.5 μM H₂S simultaneously for group HS. Hemodynamics and the infarct size were measured. Results: Group HS presented depressed hemodynamics during pretreatment. LV function in group HS achieved better recovery than group I after reperfusion. The infarct size of groups S, H and HS was smaller than group I, while there were no differences between groups S, H and HS. Conclusions: Exogenous H₂S did not enhance the preconditioning effects of sevoflurane. Rather, the results suggest that H₂S under sevoflurane might depress hemodynamics.