HSP90 inhibition and multi-target approach to maximize cardioprotection in ischemic injury.

Despite several advances in medicine, ischemic heart disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The unraveling of molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathophysiology has revealed targets that can be challenged by pharmaceuticals, however, transition of these drugs to the clinic has been disappointing. Considering the complexity of ischemic disease at the cellular and molecular levels, an equally multifaceted treatment approach may be envisioned. The pharmacological principle of 'one target, one key' may fall short in such context and optimal treatment may involve one or many agents directed against complementary targets. Herein, we introduce a 'multi-target approach to cardioprotection' and propose HSP90 as a target of interest. We report on a member of a distinct class of HSP90 inhibitor possessing pleiotropic activity which we discovered to possess potent infarct sparing effects.