Plasma endothelin-1 and natriuretic peptide levels and antioxidant capacity of heart transplanted patients

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There is evidence that a transplanted heart does not provide the recipient with functionally normal cardiac function and many differences in resting haemodynamics and alterations in electrophysiology and neurohumoral disbalance can be seen. Therefore, the plasma levels of functionally important metabolites - endothelin-1 (ET-1) as well as A- and B-type natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) - are released into the blood bed in response to fluid retention and vasoconstriction in heart disorders. Besides these haemodynamically-interesting parameters, in various intervals after the heart transplantation (HTx), the actual endogenous antioxidant capacity of patients was studied. Before HTx and successively three times during the first week and then weekly during the first month after HTx, seven transplanted patients were carefully clinically and biochemically investigated. In their blood plasma (or erythrocytes) the total antioxidant status (TAS), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) as well as plasma levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), ET-1, ANP and BNP were estimated.

During the whole investigation period the gradual decrease of TAS was noted. Compared with the pre-transplant levels, a gradual decrease of plasma levels of ET-1 and successive rise in ANP and BNP levels were observed, especially during the first week after the HTx. In conclusion, we have shown that HTx-patients demonstrated decreased total antioxidant capacity and characteristic movements of plasma levels of analysed peptides reflects the response of the cardiovascular system to the haemodynamically different situation.