Blockage of polycystin-2 alleviates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by inhibiting autophagy through the Ca/Akt/Beclin 1 pathway.

Autophagy is a well-conserved self-protection process that plays an important role in cardiovascular diseases. Excessive autophagy during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) induces calcium overload and the overactivation of an autophagic response, thereby aggravating cardiomyocyte damage. Polycystin-2 (PC2) is a Ca-permeable nonselective cation channel implicated in the regulation of autophagy.