Cariporide

Cariporide is a selective sodium-hydrogen antiporter inhibitor. The sodium-hydrogen exchanger is an importatn player in the pathophysiology of myocardial ischemia-referfusion injury. The accumulation of hydrogen ions in the myocyte cytoso; during ischemia creates a proton gradiant that promote the efflux of hydrogen ions in exchange for the influx of sodium ions. This sodium buildup can secondary activates the sodium-calcium exchanger to operate in the reverse mode, resulting in a net calcium accumulation in myocyte cytosol, which leads to dysfunction and cell death. By inhibiting sodium-hydrogen exchange, Cariporide can prevent the accumulation of calcium in cytosol, therefore reduce the infarct size.