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Nature Medicine 8, 453 - 455 (2002)
doi:10.1038/nm0502-453
Corticosteroids and cardioprotection
Christoph Thiemermann1
- The William Harvey Research Institute St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry London, UK
e-mail: c.thiemermann@qmul.ac.uk
Abstract
New findings in mice suggest that corticosteroids mediate nitric oxide production in the endothelium, which in turn protects the heart against damage when deprived of oxygen. The mechanism explains, at least in part, the cardioprotective effects of these anti-inflammatory agents. (pages 473–479)
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and its prevalence is rapidly increasing in non-industrialized countries. Myocardial infarction is the irreversible necrosis of heart muscle secondary to prolonged oxygen deprivation; it results in impaired contractile function, increased predisposition to arrhythmias and other long-term complications.
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