Cardioprotection of insulin-like growth factor-1 during reperfusion therapy: what is the underlying mechanism or mechanisms?

In the setting of acute myocardial infarction, reperfusion of ischemic myocardium carried out early after coronary occlusion can salvage reversibly injured, viable myocardium. Although still controversial, however, reperfusion itself may cause a population of reversibly injured cells to die, a phenomenon termed lethal reperfusion injury.1 A variety of pharmacological agents have been studied to limit ischemia/ reperfusion injury as an adjunct to current reperfusion, and some beneficial effects have been demonstrated in experimental animal research, but their clinical applications have not been achieved.2–4