Progress in endogenous cardioprotection induced by ischemic postconditioning / 生理学报

ABSTRACT

Restoration of blood flow is the definitive therapy to salvage myocardium following ischemic injury. Sudden restoration of blood flow to the ischemic myocardium may, however, also cause reperfusion injury. Therefore, to prevent such ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, one strategy could be to evoke endogenous myocardial protective mechanisms. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and postconditioning (I-postC) are endogenous protective mechanisms capable of protecting the myocardium from myocardial infarction, stunning, and ventricular arrhythmia induced by I/R injury. The mechanisms involve induction of triggers, activation of signaling pathways, and end-effectors, which attenuate generation of free radicals and calcium overload induced by I/R. The fact that I-postC can be applied after a prolonged period of ischemia offers a novel approach to myocardial protection. This article mainly reviews the cardioprotection, mechanisms, and application to clinical cardiology of I-postC.