Beneficial Effects of the Converting Enzyme Inhibitor, Ramipril, in Ischemic Rat Hearts

Components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) have been found in heart tissue and it is likely that angiotensin II (ANG II) is generated locally in the heart as in other organs. Pharmacological interference with converting enzyme (CE) inhibitors reduced CE activity and ANG II generation in the heart. To investigate whether local inhibition of CE in the heart with the CE inhibitor ramipril might contribute to the therapeutic effects, experiments were performed in isolated perfused working rat hearts. Acute regional myocardial ischemia was induced by occlusion of the left coronary artery followed by reperfusion. In ischemic isolated rat hearts, both single oral pretreatment with ramipril (1 mg/kg) or perfusion with the active moiety, ramiprilat (10 micrograms/ml), protected against ventricular fibrillation, which invariably occurred in control hearts during reperfusion. Reperfusion arrhythmias were aggravated by perfusion with ANG I and ANG II, but prevented by bradykinin. ANG I-enhanced ventricular fibrillations were completely eliminated during local CE inhibition with ramipril. The CE inhibitor also improved cardiodynamics. Coronary flow, left ventricular pressure, dp/dtmax, and myocardial oxygen consumption were increased in comparison to controls without changes in heart rate. In the perfusate of treated hearts, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase activities and lactate production, were reduced. Myocardial tissue levels of glycogen, ATP, and creatine phosphate were increased in ramipril-pretreated hearts whereas lactate was decreased. The results of these experiments in rat hearts suggest that local inhibition of CE by ramipril exerts protective effects after ischemia and reperfusion by reducing arrhythmias and improving cardiac function and metabolism, thus probably contributing to the therapeutic effects of CE inhibitors in cardiovascular diseases.