Chemical chaperones improve the functional recovery of stunned myocardium by attenuating the endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Aim: Myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) produces structural and functional alterations depending on the duration of ischaemia. Brief ischaemia followed by reperfusion causes reversible contractile dysfunction (stunned heart) but long-lasting ischaemia followed by reperfusion can result in irreversible injury with cell death. Events during I/R can alter endoplasmic reticulum (ER) function leading to the accumulation of unfolded/misfolded proteins.