BACKGROUND: Short administration of volatile anesthetics preconditions myocardium and protects the heart against the consequences of subsequent ischemia. Activation of tyrosine kinase is implicated in ischemic preconditioning. The authors investigated whether desflurane-induced preconditioning depends on activation of tyrosine kinase. METHODS: Sixty-four rabbits were instrumented for measurement of left ventricular pressure, cardiac output, and myocardial infarct size (IS). All rabbits were subjected to 30 min of occlusion of a major coronary artery and 2 h of subsequent reperfusion. Rabbits underwent a treatment period consisting of either no intervention for 35 min (control group, n = 12) or 15 min of 1 minimum alveolar concentration desflurane inhalation followed by a 10-min washout period (desflurane group, n = 12). Four additional groups received the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein (5 mg/kg) or lavendustin A (1.3 mg/kg) at the beginning of the treatment period with (desflurane-genistein group, n = 11; desflurane-lavendustin A group, n = 12) or without desflurane inhalation (genistein group, n = 9; lavendustin A group, n = 8). RESULTS: Hemodynamic values were similar in all groups during baseline (left ventricular pressure, 87 +/- 14 mmHg (mean +/- SD]; cardiac output, 198 +/- 47 ml/min), during coronary artery occlusion (left ventricular pressure, 78 +/- 12 mmHg; cardiac output, 173 +/- 39 ml/min), and after 2 h of reperfusion (left ventricular pressure, 59 +/- 17; cardiac output, 154 +/- 43 ml/min). IS in the control group was 55 +/- 10% of the area at risk. The tyrosine inhibitors had no effect on IS (genistein group, 56 +/- 13%; lavendustin A group, 49 +/- 13%; each P = 1.0 vs. control group). Desflurane preconditioning reduced IS to 40 +/- 15% (P = 0.04 vs. control group). Tyrosine kinase inhibitor administration had no effect on IS reduction (desflurane-genistein group, 44 +/- 13%; desflurane-lavendustin A group, 44 +/- 16%; each P = 1.0 vs. desflurane group). CONCLUSION: Desflurane-induced preconditioning does not depend on tyrosine kinase activation.
