High-mobility group box-1 in ischemia-reperfusion injury of the heart.

Background: High-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) is a nuclear factor released by necrotic cells and by activated immune cells. HMGB1 signals via members of the toll-like receptor family and the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). Although HMGB1 has been implicated in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of the liver and lung, its role in I/R injury of the heart remains unclear.