Endothelium and myocyte cellular insulin receptor alterations in a rat model of myocardial infarction.

Ischemic heart disease is considered to be one of the leading causes of death in adults. While extensive research on mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction (MI) has been underway, it is not known whether insulin receptor characteristics and postreceptor signaling have been fully addressed as yet. Present work attempts to investigate whether the remodeling process effectively induces alteration(s) in insulin-binding characteristics at the coronary endothelium and cardiomyocytes using a rat heart model of MI.