Disorders characterized by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), such as myocardial infarction, stroke, andperipheral vascular disease, continue to be among the most frequent causes of devastating disease and maincauses of death in the US. Reperfusion of ischemic tissue triggers many pro-death signaling pathways whichconverge on to the mitochondria. Indeed, reoxygenation of cardiomyocytes leads to mitochondrial Ca2+overload and an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation that triggers the opening of themitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP).
