Growth Differentiation Factor 11 Attenuates Cardiac Ischemia Reperfusion Injury via Enhancing Mitochondrial Biogenesis and Telomerase Activity

Ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury mice with myocardial overexpression GDF11 exhibited a significantly smaller myocardial infarct size, less cardiac remodeling and dysfunction, fewer apoptotic cardiomyocytes, higher telomerase activity, longer telomeres, and higher ATP generation than IR mice treated with an adenovirus carrying a negative control plasmid.