Cardioprotective strategies in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury: Implications for improving clinical translation

Ischemic heart disease is the most common cause of death and disability globally which is caused by reduced or complete cessation of blood flow to a portion of the myocardium. One of its clinical manifestations is myocardial infarction, which is commonly treated by restoring of blood flow through reperfusion therapies. However, serious ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) can occur, significantly undermining clinical outcomes, for which there is currently no effective therapy. This review revisits several potential pharmacological IRI intervention strategies that have entered preclinical or clinical research phases. Here, we discuss what we have learned through translational failures over the years, and propose possible ways to enhance translation efficiency.