Figure 3. Intact innervation of the remote ischaemic tissue is essential for cardioprotection induced by remote preconditioning but not for delayed remote postconditioning.

A, illustration of the experimental protocols. Arrow indicates time of limb denervation by sectioning sciatic and femoral nerves or sham surgery. B, infarct size is presented as a percentage of the area at risk. Denervation of the peripheral ischaemic tissue abolishes cardioprotection induced by remote ischaemic conditioning (RIc) applied prior to myocardial ischaemia, whereas cardioprotection conferred by delayed remote postconditioning (RPost10′) is not affected. Individual data and means ± SEM are shown. ***P < 0.001; n.s., not significant.