Abstract
The term cardioprotection has a bivalent meaning. From the pharmacological point of view, cardiovascular protection represents preserving the metabolism, structure, and function of the heart and vasculature and limiting their damage either in primary or secondary prevention.
Some 50 years ago, the term cardioprotection was almost exclusively associated with ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, or reperfusion damage. Since the beginning of the nineties, when the effectiveness of heart failure treatment started to be investigated in clinical trials, the term cardioprotection has meant protection of an ischemic, hypertensive and failing heart or a heart damaged by antineoplastic therapy.
Several groups of drugs such as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, blockers of receptors for angiotensin II type, beta-blockers, aldosterone receptor blockers, statins and antiaggregatory and anticoagulatory treatment were shown to be effective in achieving the hard endpoints; however, mortality reduction with most drugs does not exceed 30% and the residual cardiovascular risks remain high. Thus, the search for novel approaches within cardiovascular protection remains unremitting.