Nicorandil alleviates myocardial injury and post-infarction cardiac remodeling by inhibiting Mst1

Highlights: • Nicorandil upregulates cardiomyocyte autophagy, while reduces cardiomyocytes apoptosis. • Nicorandil inhibits left ventricular remodeling and cardiac dysfunction in mice with myocardial infarction (MI). • Mst1 serves as a downstream regulator of nicorandil. Cardiomyocyte autophagy and apoptosis are crucial events underlying the development of cardiac abnormalities and dysfunction after myocardial infarction (MI). A better understanding of the cell signaling pathways involved in cardiac remodeling may support the development of new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of heart failure (HF) after MI.