Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026

Improved Rodent Model of Myocardial Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury
Published on: March 7, 2022
AMP-activated protein kinase: implications on ischemic diseases
Yong-Joo Ahn1, Hwewon Kim, Heejin Lim
1Vascular Medicine Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Abstract:
Ischemia is a blockage of blood supply due to an embolism or a hemorrhage in a blood vessel. When an organ cannot receive oxygenated blood and can therefore no longer replenish its blood supply due to ischemia, stresses, such as the disruption of blood glucose homeostasis, hypoglycemia and hypoxia, activate the AMPK complex. LKB1 and CaMKKβ are essential activators of the AMPK signaling pathway. AMPK triggers proangiogenic effects through the eNOS protein in tissues with ischemic conditions, where cells are vulnerable to apoptosis, autophagy and necrosis. The AMPK complex acts to restore blood glucose levels and ATP levels back to homeostasis. This review will discuss AMPK, as well as its key activators (LKB1 and CaMKKβ), as a central energy regulator and evaluate the upstream and downstream regulating pathways of AMPK. We will also discuss how we can control this important enzyme in ischemic conditions to prevent harmful effects in patients with vascular damage.
Related Concept Videos
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways
MAPK Signaling Cascades
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
Ischemic Heart Disease: Overview
Atherosclerosis, the primary malefactor, orchestrates this dangerous condition. It manifests as the accumulation of fatty deposits, akin to insidious plaques, within arterial walls. As time elapses, these plaques metamorphose, hardening and narrowing...
Ischemic Stroke ll: Pathophysiology
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
