Activation of CXCR7 alleviates cardiac insufficiency after myocardial infarction by promoting angiogenesis and reducing apoptosis.

•CXCR7 expression is downregulated both in mice after acute myocardial infarction and in a hypoxic human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) model.•Knockdown of CXCR7 aggravates hypoxia-induced angiogenic injury and apoptosis in HUVECs in vitro; this effect can be rescued by activation of CXCR7.•Activation of CXCR7 alleviates cardiac function damage after acute myocardial infarction in mice by enhancing angiogenesis.