Dddt_a_219533 3137..3149

morbidity and mortality in patients with ischemic heart disease or after cardiac surgery. Studies identified various molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the process of myocardial I/R. Of these, intracellular calcium [Ca]i overload is a critical one that leads to cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cell death. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a highly selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist with sedative, anxiolytic, analgesic, and sympatholytic properties. Our previous Correspondence: Fu-Hai Ji; Ke Peng Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 188 Shizi Street, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, People’s Republic of China Tel +86 5 126 778 0055; +86 5 126 778 0159 Email jifuhaisuda@163.com; pengke0422@163.com Drug Design, Development and Therapy Dovepress