Background: Apoptosis is a physiological programmed cell death necessary for the development and cellular homeostasis. Dysregulation of apoptosis pathways leads to several diseases such as cancer, autoimmune and immunodeficiency diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders.
Materials and Methods: The current study included 56 patients (29 males and 27 females), undergoing corrective heart surgery operations, categorized into 3 groups: group A included 23 patients with atrial septal defect (ASD); group B included 15 patients with ventricular septal defect (VSD), and group C included 15 patients with Fallot tetralogy. Biochemical assays of apoptotic (P53 and caspase 3) and antiapoptotic markers (Bcl-2) using colorimetric and ELISA assay kits were performed on all included patients twice, preoperative and 24 hours postoperative.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the preoperative levels of Bcl-2, Caspase-3, and P53 between the three groups. While the significant difference was found when comparing the preoperative and postoperative levels of the previous markers in the same group and between groups (p˂0.05 for all).
Conclusion: Both apoptotic and antiapoptotic pathways are activated during congenital heart corrective surgeries, increased markers directly related to the duration of anesthesia exposure.
Keywords: P53, Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Congenital Heart Surgery, Apoptosis