OBJECTIVE : Recent reports have showed an antiinflammatory effect of phosphodiesterase III inhibitors (PDEi) in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).
The aim of this study was to investigate effects of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibition on mesenteric vascular function and metabolism in an experimental model of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with cardiac arrest.
The activity of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is activated upon recognition of DNA strand breaks by its DNA-binding domain and the stimulation of this nuclear enzyme seems to be an early response of cells exposed to a variety of different DNA-damaging agents.
The balanced DNA excision-repair process is accompanied by a proportional consumption of NAD for poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis.