Cardioprotection Research Laboratory
The focus of the Cardioprotection lab is to discover endogenous mechanisms of protection against ischemia-reperfusion damage. The lab uses a model of short term exercise to elicit a cardioprotected phenotype in laboratory rats
Cardioprotection is assessed via surgically induced heart attack (ischemia-reperfusion or IR injury). We have two clinically relevant methods for administering heart attacks, 1) in vivo IR surgery where anesthetized animals are ventilated and the heart is accessed in order to induce IR via coronary artery ligation. This model is advantageous for assessment of ECG abnormalities, histological, and biochemical outcomes. 2) an ex-vivo isolated perfused heart preparation (isolated perfused working heart) where excised hearts are fixed in a controlled perfusion system simulating systolic blood pressure (with precise control of preload and afterload) Ischemia and reperfusion are administered either through coronary artery ligation or withdrawl of the perfusate (buffer). This method is advantageous for assessing cardiac contractile performance. In addition, we then attempt to attenuate exercise-mediated cardioprotection through pharmacologic, gene silencing, and other creative means in an attempt to understand the mechanisms of protection observed in the exercised hearts.
Historically, Dr Quindry has received grant awards from the National Institute of Health (NIH) - National Heart Lung and Blood Institute(NHLBI) and the American Heart Association. Current grant funding includes an R15 from the NIH-NHLBI to study whether ATP sensitive potassium channels in the mitochondria are essential for exercise-induced cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury.
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