Figure 1.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) experiments. (A) Protocol of I/R insult. The left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery distal to the bifurcation to the first diagonal branch was occluded by inflation of an over-the-wire balloon to create myocardial ischemia for 45 min followed by reperfusion for 24 h. Midkine protein (MK 5 μg/kg) or saline (CONT) was injected into the coronary artery for 10 min through the guide-wire lumen, beginning 5 min before the end of ischemia period. (B) Position of the occlusion balloon. An X-ray image was taken during LAD angiography. Two arrows indicate proximal and distal ends of the balloon positioned at the site of occlusion. (C) The mortality rate of animals during the 24-h reperfusion. Four of 12 (33.3%) CONT, whereas 1/9 (11.1%) MK-treated swines died (p = 0.34, Fischer’s exact test).