Extracellular and intracellular proteases in cardiac dysfunction due to ischemia–reperfusion injury

Various procedures such as angioplasty, thrombolytic therapy, coronary bypass surgery, and cardiac transplantation are invariably associated with ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury. Impaired recovery of cardiac function due to I/R injury is considered to be a consequence of the occurrence of both oxidative stress and intracellular Ca2+-overload in the myocardium. These changes in the ischemic myocardium appear to activate both extracellular and...