Release of alpha hydroxybutyrate from neonatal rat heart cell cultures exposed to anoxia and reoxygenation: comparison with impairment of structure and function of damaged cardiac cells.

Spontaneously beating monolayer cultures of neonatal rat heart cells first exposed to depletion of oxygen and metabolic substrates for 1 to 7 h (anoxia). Subsequently the cultures were resupplied with oxygen and substrates (reoxygenation). The release of alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (HBDH) from the cells, the extent of necrosis, and the changes in spontaneous contractile activity were measured. HBDH release was observed to start after 1 h of anoxia and to increase to 84% of intracellular HBDH activity after 7 h of anoxia. Reoxygenation of anoxic heart cells is associated with accelerated HBDH release (oxygen paradox). The activity of HBDH released by cardiac cells, the number of necrotic cells and the impairment of beating capacity of the cells depend on the duration of the anoxic period in a similar way. This study demonstrates that cardiac cell death can be assessed quantitatively and reliably by the measurement of the activity of HBDH released by the cells.