. Nitric oxidecGMP-protein kinase G signaling pathway induces anoxic preconditioning through activation of ATP-sensitive K ϩ channels in rat hearts. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 290: H1808 -H1817, 2006. First published December 9, 2005 doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00772.2005.-Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in anoxic preconditioning to protect the heart against ischemia-reperfusion injuries. The present work was performed to study better the NO-cGMP-protein kinase G (PKG) signaling pathway in the activation of both sarcolemmal and mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K ϩ (KATP) channels during anoxic preconditioning (APC) and final influence on reducing anoxia-reperfusion (A/R)-induced cardiac damage in rat hearts. The upstream regulating elements controlling NO-cGMP-PKG signal-induced KATP channel opening that leads to cardioprotection were investigated. The involvement of both inducible and endothelial NO synthases (iNOS and eNOS) in the progression of this signaling pathway was followed. Final cellular outcomes of ischemia-induced injury after different preconditioning in the form of lactate dehydrogenase release, DNA strand breaks, and malondialdehyde formation as indexes of cell injury and lipid peroxidation, respectively, were investigated. The lactate dehydrogenase and malondialdehyde values decreased in the groups that underwent preconditioning periods with specific mitochondrial KATP channels opener diazoxide (100 M), nonspecific mitochondrial KATP channels opener pinacidil (50 M), S-nitroso-Nacetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 300 M), or -phenyl-1,N 2 -etheno-8-bromoguanosine-3Ј,5Ј-cyclicmonophosphorothioate, Sp-isomer (10 M) before the A/R period. Preconditioning with SNAP significantly reduced the DNA damage. The effect was blocked by glibenclamide (50 M), 5-hydroxydecanoate (100 M), N G -nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (200 M), and -phenyl-1,N 2 -etheno-8-bromoguanosine-3Ј,5Ј-cyclic monophosphorothioate, Rp-isomer (1 M). The results suggest iNOS, rather than eNOS, as the major contributing NO synthase during APC treatment. Moreover, the PKG shows priority over NO as the upstream regulator of NO-cGMP-PKG signal-induced KATP channel opening that leads to cardioprotection during APC treatment.guanosine 3Ј,5Ј-cyclic monophosphate; adenosine 5Ј-triphosphate; oxidative damage ISCHEMIC PRECONDITIONING, in which short-term occlusion and reperfusion of a coronary artery are followed by long-term occlusion, can reduce subsequent ischemia-induced injury to the heart (42). Nitric oxide (NO), protein kinase G (PKG), and ATP-sensitive K ϩ (K ATP ) channels (both the sarcolemmal and mitochondrial subtypes) can mimic the effects of ischemic preconditioning in the heart, and mitochondrial K ATP channels appear to be the end effectors (19,20,25). The activation of these channels may improve the recovery of regional contractility of myocardium by shortening the duration of action potentials and by attenuating membrane depolarization, both of which would decrease myocardial contractility and reduce energy expenditure during ischem...