Down-regulation of Connexin43 in Early Myocardial Ischemia and Protective Effect by Ischemic Preconditioning in Rat Hearts In Vivo

Connexin 43 (Cx43), a primary component of gap junctions, contributes to intercellular electrochemical communication. Cx43 undergoes dephosphorylation in early ischemia. We examined whether Cx43 is degraded in association with dephosphorylation during early myocardial ischemia and whether ischemic preconditioning (IP) affects the degradation after rat coronary artery occlusion. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent coronary artery occlusion for 1,...