title: Role of Endothelial Cells in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.
abstract: Minimizing myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury has broad clinical implications and is a critical mediator of cardiac surgical outcomes. "Ischemic injury" results from a restriction in blood supply leading to a mismatch between oxygen supply and demand of a sufficient intensity and/or duration that leads to cell necrosis, whereas ischemia-reperfusion injury occurs when blood supply is restored after a period of ischemia and is usually associated with apoptosis (i.e. programmed cell death). Compared to vascular endothelial cells, cardiac myocytes are more sensitive to ischemic injury and have received the most attention in preventing myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Many comprehensive reviews exist on various aspects of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. The purpose of this review is to examine the role of vascular endothelial cells in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, and to stimulate further research in this exciting and clinically relevant area. Two specific areas that are addressed include: 1) data suggesting that coronary endothelial cells are critical mediators of myocardial dysfunction after ischemia-reperfusion injury; and 2) the involvement of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in endothelial cell death as a result of an ischemia-reperfusion insult. Elucidating the cellular signaling pathway(s) that leads to endothelial cell injury and/or death in response to ischemia-reperfusion is a key component to developing clinically applicable strategies that might minimize myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.
authors.affiliation: Cardiothoracic Division, Edward J. Hines Veterans Administration Hospital, and Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Arun K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Singhal
authors.affiliation: College of Health and Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: J David
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Symons
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, and Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Sihem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boudina
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, and Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Bharat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jaishy
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Yan-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Shiu
keywords: Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury; endothelial cells; mitochondrial permeability transition pore