Haploinsufficiency of Hand1 improves mice survival after acute myocardial infarction through preventing cardiac rupture

8-10 weeks old male heterozygous Hand1-deficient (Hand1+/−) mice and wild-type littermates (control) were subjected to sham operation or ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery to induce acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Hand1+/− mice have low incidence of left ventricular free wall rupture in the first week after operation than control mice. Then we found lower MMP9 activity and less cardiomyocytes apoptosis in Hand1+/− than in control mice. All of these contribute to the protection role of haploinsufficiency of Hand1 after AMI.