Background Myocardial apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis-related myocardial depression.However,the underlying mechanism remains unknown.This study investigated the role of mitochondrial damage and mitochondria-induced oxidative stress during cardiac apoptosis in septic rats.Methods Seventy-two Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group and septic group receiving lipopolysaccharide injection.Heart tissue was removed and changes in cardiac morphology were observed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.In situ apoptosis was examined using terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay and nuclear factor-kappa B activation in myocardium by West blotting to estimate myocardial apoptosis.Appearance of mitochondrial cristae and activation of cytochrome C oxidase were used to evaluate mitochondrial damage.Oxidative stress was assessed by mitochondrial lipid and protein oxidation,and antioxidant defense was assessed by mitochondrial superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity.Results Sepsis-induced inflammatory cell infiltration,myocardium degeneration and dropsy were time-dependent.Expanded capillaries were observed in the hearts of infected rats 24 hours post-challenge.Compared with sham-treated rats,the percentage of cell apoptosis increased in a time-dependent manner in hearts from septic rats at 6 hours,12 hours and 24 hours post-injection (P ＜ 0.05).The expression of nuclear factor-kappa B p65 decreased gradually in the cytosol and increased in the nucleus during sepsis,indicating that septic challenge provoked the progressive activation of nuclear factor-kappa B.Mitochondrial cristae and activation of cytochrome C oxidase increased in a time-dependent manner.Both superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities decreased,while mitochondrial lipid and protein oxidation increased between 6 and 24 hours after lipopolysaccharide challenge.Conclusions Septic challenge induced myocardial apoptosis and mitochondrial damage.Furthermore,mitochondrial damage via alteration of defenses against reactive oxygen species might play an important role in myocardial apoptosis during sepsis.