Postconditioning attenuates coronary perivascular and interstitial fibrosis through modulating angiotensin II receptors and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 after myocardial infarction.

Background: Postconditioning (Postcon) is known to reduce infarct size. This study tested the hypothesis that Postcon attenuates the perivascular and interstitial fibrosis after myocardial infarction through modulating angiotensin II-activated fibrotic cascade.

Materials And Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 45-min coronary occlusion followed by 1 and 6 wk of reperfusion.

Postconditioning promotes the cardiac repair through balancing collagen degradation and synthesis after myocardial infarction in rats.

Postconditioning (Postcon) reduces infarct size. However, its role in modulation of cardiac repair after infarction is uncertain. This study tested the hypothesis that Postcon inhibits adverse cardiac repair by reducing degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and synthesis of collagens via modulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and transforming growth factor (TGF) β1/Smad signaling pathway.

Curcumin promotes cardiac repair and ameliorates cardiac dysfunction following myocardial infarction.

Background And Purpose: Curcumin, the natural yellow pigment extracted from the rhizomes of the plant curcuma longa, has been demonstrated to exhibit a variety of potent beneficial effects, acting as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic. In this study we tested the hypothesis that curcumin attenuates maladaptive cardiac repair and improves cardiac function after ischaemia and reperfusion by reducing degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and inhibiting synthesis of collagens via TGFβ/Smad-mediated signalling pathway.

Experimental Approach: Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 45 min of ischaemia followed by 7, 21 and 42 days of reperfusion respectively.