Inducible NO synthase expression in endomyocardial biopsies after heart transplantation in relation to the postoperative course.

Objective: Ischemia and reperfusion during heart transplantation cause damage to cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells and may initiate later acute rejection. Free oxygen radicals generated by iNOS are widely accepted to be responsible for ischemic injury. Increased iNOS expression on cardiac tissue may represent a more intensive tissue injury during ischemia and reperfusion in heart transplantation.