Endogenous activation of mitochondrial KATP channels protects human failing myocardium from hydroxyl radical-induced stunning.

Rationale: During reperfusion of ischemic myocardium, a burst of hydroxyl radicals (OH) induces contractile dysfunction ("myocardial stunning"), and OH in the plasma of patients after myocardial infarction predict the development of heart failure. The effects of OH on myocardial function in patients with heart failure; however, have never been assessed. Furthermore, although ATP-dependent K+ channels (K(ATP) channels) are implicated in myocardial protection during ischemia/reperfusion ("ischemic preconditioning"), their role in heart failure has hardly been elucidated.