Cardiomyocyte-targeted HIF-1α gene therapy inhibits cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac allograft vasculopathy in the rat

We found that acute and chronic rejection increased HIF-1α mRNA and protein levels in rat cardiac allografts. On the other hand, cardiomyocyte-targeted HIF-1α gene transfer inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis and the development of CAV, suggesting a novel therapeutic strategy for HIF-1α in cardiac allografts.