Ischemic conditioning of human heart muscle depends on opioid-receptor system.

Background: Despite progress in the invasive treatment of ischemic heart disease, the ability to limit ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury remains largely unrealized. Ischemic pre-conditioning (IPC) and post-conditioning (POC) induce the protective mechanisms of resistance against I/R injury. Stimulation of opioid receptors mimic the protective effect of IPC or POC in an animal models.