Fig. 2

Infarct size across experimental groups. (A) Infarct size, expressed as a percentage of the area at risk (AAR), was significantly higher in the control group compared to all other groups (p < 0.001). The smallest infarcts were observed in the PreC and PreC + PerC + PostC groups, with no significant difference between them (p = 0.9). PerC and PerC + PostC significantly reduced infarct size compared to PostC (p < 0.01), but the combination of PerC + PostC did not provide additional benefit over PerC alone (p = 0.9). Each dot represents one rat (n = 9 per group). Yellow circles indicate group means, and error bars represent standard deviation. Statistical comparisons were performed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < 0.001. (B) Representative images of whole hearts stained with triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC). Dark blue regions indicate myocardium not subjected to ischemia. The bright red and white areas represent the area at risk (AAR), with bright red indicating viable myocardium and white indicating necrotic tissue.