The role of existing and novel cardiac biomarkers for cardioprotection.

Cardioprotection is an all-encompassing term for physico-biochemical or therapeutic interventions which slow or ameliorate the progression of cardiomyocyte necrosis. There are a number of established and novel biomarkers to assess coronary artery disease at initiation, ischemia, necrosis and myocardial dysfunction. Established biomarkers such as creatine kinase-MB, cardiac troponins and natriuretic peptides have been utilized for the assessment of cardioprotection, especially during surgery. Novel markers are currently being investigated for detection and risk assessment in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Ischemia-modified albumin is used for the early detection of cardiac ischemia and could be a potential biomarker for assessing the early cardioprotective effects of damage-limiting interventional measures.