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Objective: Connexin 43 (Cx43) is involved in infarct size reduction by ischemic preconditioning (IP); the underlying mechanism of protection, however, is unknown. Since mitochondria have been proposed to be involved in IP's protection, the present study analyzed whether Cx43 is localized at mitochondria of cardiomyocytes and whether such localization is affected by IP.

Methods and results: Western blot analysis on mitochondrial preparations isolated from rat, mouse, pig, and human hearts showed the presence of Cx43. The preparations were not contaminated with markers for other cell compartments. The localization of Cx43 to mitochondria was also confirmed by FACS sorting (double staining with MitoTracker Red and Cx43) and immuno-electron and confocal microscopy. To study the role of Cx43 in IP, mitochondria were isolated from the ischemic anterior wall (AW) and the control …