Figure 1.

2MT preserves left ventricular systolic function and reduces infarct size in the heart after ischaemia/reperfusion injury. (A) Schematic outline of study workflow. A mouse model of cardiac I/R injury was established. In 10 week‐old male mice, the left anterior descending coronary arteries were ligated for 30 min before reperfusion. 2MT (50 mg/kg) or saline was subcutaneously injected to the mice 10 min before reperfusion. Hearts were analysed 24 h after ligation. (B) FS and EF were assessed by echocardiography for sham or I/R operated mice after saline or 2MT injection (n = 7 for each group). Representative images after Evans blue injection and subsequent TTC staining (C) and quantification of the area at risk (left graph) and infarct size (right graph) (D) (n = 4 for each group). (E) Serum cardiac troponin I level in I/R operated mice after saline or 2MT injection (control n = 5, 2MT n = 4). *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01; one‐way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc test for multiple group analysis and two‐tailed Student t test for two‐group analysis. All values are mean ± standard deviation (SD). Each dot represents one mouse. 2MT, 2‐methyl‐2‐thiazoline; AAR, area at risk; EF, ejection fraction; FS, fraction shortening; I/R, ischaemia–reperfusion; IS, infarct size; LV, left ventricle; s.c., subcutaneous administration; TTC, triphenyltetrazolium chloride.