Involvement of β-adrenoceptors in myocardial pre- and post-conditioning
Introduction
We were particularly interested in researching the role of adrenaline in myocardial ischaemia. Adrenaline is used for its vasopressor properties during cardiopulmonary resuscitation from cardiac arrest. However, detrimental effects during myocardial ischaemia can be predicted from the pharmacological profile of adrenaline, and indeed high plasma concentrations of adrenaline have been associated with poor outcomes clinically.
Aims of Project
Work so far has concentrated on investigating the effects of adrenaline and β-adrenoceptor agonist and antagonists on myocardical function in various models of myocardial infarction. We have interesting data suggesting that β2-adrenoceptors may be protective in post-conditioning, which is clinically much more relevant than pre-conditioning.