Ability of N-tert-butyl alpha phenylnitrone (PBN) to be used in isolated perfused heart spin trapping experiments: preliminary studies.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of oxygen-free radical spin trapping with PBN, in models of isolated perfused hearts. Preliminary studies reported here demonstrate that (i) PBN may be precisely measured with UV spectroscopy, (ii) commercially available PBN does not show any ESR signal, (iii) PBN does not trap significant amounts of free radicals in a perfusion medium oxygenated for at least 3 h, and (iv) when added at 15 or 56 mM in the perfusion medium, PBN is a highly toxic compound, whereas no toxic effect was observed with 3mM-containing perfusate.