Early Expression of Angiogenesis Factors in Acute Myocardial Ischemia and Infarction

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Abstract
When the myocardium is deprived of blood, a process of ischemia, infarction, and myocardial remodeling is initiated. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a transcriptional activator of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and is critical for initiating early cellular responses to hypoxia. We investigated the temporal and spatial patterns of expression of the α subunit of HIF-1 (HIF-1α) and VEGF in specimens of human heart tissue to elucidate the early molecular responses to myocardial hypoxia.