{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T02:04:51Z","timestamp":1783476291947,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,27]],"date-time":"2021-10-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1635292800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100007065","name":"University of Salerno","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["FARB 2020-ORSA 208878 and FARB 2020-ORSA209458"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FARB 2020-ORSA 208878 and FARB 2020-ORSA209458"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100007065","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Hypoxia is the leading cause of death in cardiomyocytes. Cells respond to oxygen deprivation by activating cytoprotective programs, such as mitochondrial connexin43 (mCx43) overexpression and the opening of mitochondrial KATP channels, aimed to reduce mitochondrial dysfunction. In this study we used an in vitro model of CoCl2-induced hypoxia to demonstrate that mCx43 and KATP channels cooperate to induce cytoprotection. CoCl2 administration induces apoptosis in H9c2 cells by increasing mitochondrial ROS production, intracellular and mitochondrial calcium overload and by inducing mitochondrial membrane depolarization. Diazoxide, an opener of KATP channels, reduces all these deleterious effects of CoCl2 only in the presence of mCx43. In fact, our results demonstrate that in the presence of radicicol, an inhibitor of Cx43 translocation to mitochondria, the cytoprotective effects of diazoxide disappear. In conclusion, these data confirm that there exists a close functional link between mCx43 and KATP channels.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms222111599","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,27]],"date-time":"2021-10-27T22:00:23Z","timestamp":1635372023000},"page":"11599","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Diazoxide Needs Mitochondrial Connexin43 to Exert Its Cytoprotective Effect in a Cellular Model of CoCl2-Induced Hypoxia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"given":"Michela","family":"Pecoraro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2333-1630","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefania","family":"Marzocco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9843-8443","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ada","family":"Popolo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2283","DOI":"10.1007\/s11010-021-04082-9","article-title":"Atrial fibrillation: The role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1-regulated cytokines","volume":"476","author":"Gill","year":"2021","journal-title":"Mol. 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