Preconditioning effects of steroids and hyperoxia on cardiac ischemia–reperfusion injury and vascular reactivity☆

Abstract

Combined pretreatment by hyperoxia and dexamethasone improved postischemic heart function, but did not reduce infarct size compared to single pretreatment groups. Except of a possible role of ERK1/2, protection depended neither on survival kinases nor heat shock protein 72.