Cold‐inducible RNA binding protein agonist enhances the cardioprotective effect of UW solution during extended heart preservation

Abstract In heart transplantation, time restriction is an unavoidable thorny problem during cardiac transport. Cold storage is an important organ preservation method in donor heart transport. Cold‐inducible RNA binding protein (CIRBP) has been proven to play a protective role under cold stress. In this study, we investigated the role of CIRBP in hypothermic cardioprotection during heart preservation in UW solution and explored a new approach to extend the heart preservation time. Cirbp ‐knockout ( Cirbp −/− ), Cirbp ‐transgenic ( Cirbp ‐Tg), and wild‐type rats were, respectively, randomized into two groups based on various heart preservation times (6 or 12‐hour group) (n = 8 per group). After preservation in UW solution, all hearts were mounted on a Langendorff apparatus and underwent measurement of cardiac parameters, histological analysis, and molecular study. Within the 6‐hour preservation group, no significant difference was found in cardiac functions and histological changes between different rat species. However, after 12 hours of preservation, Cirbp −/− rat hearts showed more apoptosis and worse cardiac function, but less apoptosis and better cardiac function were observed in Cirbp ‐Tg rat hearts. Furthermore, we found CIRBP‐mediated cardiac ubiquinone (CoQ 10 ) biosynthesis plays an important role in extending heart preservation, and ubiquinone biosynthesis protein COQ9 was an essential down‐stream regulator during this process. Finally, we found that zr17‐2, a CIRBP agonist, could enhance the expression of CIRBP, which further enhances the synthesis of CoQ 10 and promotes scavenging of reactive oxygen species and ATP production to extend heart preservation. This study demonstrated that CIRBP‐enhanced CoQ 10 biosynthesis during hypothermic heart preservation and zr17‐2‐supplemented UW solution could be a promising approach to ameliorate heart damage and extend heart preservation during cardiac transport.