Figure 2.

Troponin I (cTnI) release and myocyte apoptosis after “reversible” regional ischemia in pigs with stunned myocardium. A: serum TnI measurements (log scale) in systemic and coronary venous samples (great cardiac vein) before and after a 10-min LAD occlusion. Regional LAD wall thickening became dyskinetic during the occlusion and gradually returned to normal after reperfusion consistent with stunned myocardium (data not shown). The 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL) for TnI is depicted by the dotted line. There was a delayed increase in TnI which exceeded the normal range within 1 h after reperfusion with levels after 24 h reaching ∼1,000 ng/L although regional function at this time was normal. B: myocyte apoptosis by TUNEL staining was transiently increased in the ischemic LAD region at 1 h but returned to normal 24 h after brief ischemia. Values are means ± SE. †P <0.05 vs. remote. Modified from Weil et al. (43) and reproduced with permission of the American College of Cardiology.