Figure 3.

Isoflurane preconditioning increased the dimerization of endothelial nitric oxide synthase associated with cardioprotective effect in C57BL/6 but not db/db mice. A: alterations in the ratio of endothelial nitric oxide synthase dimers/monomers by isoflurane preconditioning (mean ± SD, n=5 mice/group); B: Western blot bands showing the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase dimers and monomers and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase as a loading control in mouse hearts (n=3 hearts/blot); C: isoflurane preconditioning increased +dP/dt in C57BL/6 but not endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout mice 2 h after post-ischemic reperfusion (reperfusion) (n=9 mice in control and endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout groups and 8 mice in isoflurane and endotheial nitric oxide synthase knockout+isoflurane groups); D: isoflurane preconditioning elevated the value of −dP/dt in C57BL/6 but not endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout mice 2 h after reperfusion (reperfusion) (n=9 mice in control and endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout groups and 8 mice in isoflurane and endotheial nitric oxide synthase knockout+isoflurane groups). Control, C57BL/5 mice subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury; db/db, db/db mice undergoing ischemia/reperfusion injury; endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout, endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout mice undergoing ischemia/reperfusion injury; isoflurane, C57BL/6 mice undergoing ischemia/reperfusion injury; db/db+isoflurane, db/db mice treated with 1.4% isoflurane prior to ischemia/reperfusion injury; endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout+isoflurane, endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout mice treated with isoflurane before ischemia/reperfusion injury. *P<0.05 versus control groups, ^†P<0.05 versus db/db or endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout groups, ^#P<0.05 versus isoflurane groups.