The value of heart type fatty acid binding protein for postmortem detecion of acute myocardial ischemia

Acute myocardial infarction is found as the most frequent cause of death among adults in studies related to medicolegal aspects of sudden unexpected deaths.Multiple biochemical, macroscopic, histochemical and immunohistochemical methods and markers are applied to diagnose postmortem ischemic injury in myocardial tissue while the death is occurred in hyper-acute phase of myocardial infarction. Though these methods, there is neither a single method nor a marker as a diagnostic tool.In this study, Heart type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) was aimed to be studied as a postmortem diagnostic tool in early period of myocardial ischemia.Therefore an ischemic myocardial model was set up in laboratory animals (Wistar- Albino rats) and elevation of H-FABP in serum and leakage in myosits in early myocardial ischemia were researched postmortem biochemically and immunohistochemically. Left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was ligated, four rat study groups were formed and blood and tissue samples were taken after 5, 15, 30 and 45 minutes in these groups. The results of these groups and sham- operated group which the LAD was not ligated were compared.In our study, serum H-FABP levels showed elevations upper from normal in all of ligated LAD study groups and showed greater standard deviation in groups. Statistical significances were found between study groups however the differences were not found parallel to duration. This study results showed that irregular serum H-FABP levels not reflecting interval of ligated LAD in this rat ischemic myocardial model. For this reason this parameter could not be accepted as a result reflecting blockage of coronary artery flow for a short while in experimental model.Statistically significant correlation was not found between the degree of leakage H-FABP in myosits and interval of ligated LAD. When the relation between leakage of H-FABP in myosits and increase in serum levels inter and in the groups were examined, leakage of H-FABP in myosits and increase of H-FABP serum levels were not observed in parallel to interval of ligated LAD.These findings suggest that expectancy of rapidly releasing of H-FABP from cell to serum under ischemic conditions could not be used as an indicator for interval of ligated coronary artery in this and our experimental model.