Sarcoplasmic reticulum and cardiac oxidative stress: an emerging target for heart disease

The sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is a major player in maintaining cardiac function, as it is intimately involved in the regulation of Ca²⁺-movements on a beat-to-beat basis. SR dysfunction due to abnormalities in SR protein content has been reported in different cardiac diseases such as ischaemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and various cardiomyopathies; thus the genes expressing the SR Ca²⁺-pump, Ca²⁺-channels, calsequestrin, phospholamban and other regulatory proteins are considered important targets for drug development. In our experience, ischaemic preconditioning (IP) and pharmacological therapies, such as anti-oxidants, β-adrenergic receptor blockers, angiotensin receptor (AT-1) blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) and angiotensin receptor blockers are effective therapies that improve cardiac performance in the failing heart by improving SR function. Accordingly, this paper is intended to shed light on the knowledge in the field of cardiac therapy targeted to improve and protect SR function.