Exogenous Nitric Oxide Protects Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Figure 1

Experimental design of simulated ischemia (SI) and reperfusion (R). hESC-derived EBs (6 + 4 days of differentiation) and differentiated cardiomyocytes (6 + 24 days of differentiation) were exposed to 150 min SI, followed by 120 min R. Cell viability was assessed by propidium iodide staining. The following treatments were applied during SI in differentiated EBs (6 + 4 days of differentiation): the NO-donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) (10⁻⁷, 10⁻⁶, and 10⁻⁵ M), BNP (10⁻⁹, 10⁻⁸, and 10⁻⁷ M), and the nonspecific nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor Nω-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 10⁻⁵ M). In case of the hESC-derived cardiomyocytes (6 + 24 days of differentiation), 10⁻⁶ M SNAP was applied during SI. Viability data were normalized to the cardiac specific CAG-driven eGFP fluorescence.