Acute Administration of n‐3 Triglyceride Emulsion Provides Marked Cardioprotection After Ischemia/Reperfusion

n‐3 fatty acids may decrease cardiovascular disease risk. We questioned if acute intervention of n‐3 triglyceride (TG) emulsion (48% of fatty acids = EPA+DHA) is protective and improves cardiac function after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). n‐3 TG were administered after I/R in two models: a) hearts (C57BL/6 mice) were perfused ex‐vivo using the Langendorff technique (LT); b) hearts with acute occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in vivo . After LAD occlusion n‐3 TG emulsion (1.5g/kg body weight) was injected intraperitoneally at the end of ischemia and 1h later. In the LT model of I/R, perfusion with KREBS‐Hensleit buffer (KH) led to markedly decreased left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) (by 60%) and arrhythmias, but reperfusion with KH+ n‐3 TG (300mg/100ml) improved LVDP recovery. In the LAD model, near normal echo‐and electrocardiograms were maintained 48hrs after I/R and left ventricular infarct size was reduced by 80% in TG treated animals vs control. For both I/R models, markers of injury, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase, were significantly reduced in n‐3 TG treated mice. After I/R, in LT model, n‐3 TG increased a marker of apoptosis Bcl‐2 (by 50%), reduced markers of autophagy beclin 1 (by 60%) and HIF1 (by 80%). We conclude that an acute n‐3 TG injection after ischemia provides cardioprotection. This may provide a novel therapy after acute myocardial infarction in humans. Grant Funding Source : Nutrition (ASN)