Our observation that aromatase was among the genes which were upregulated by desflurane in the heart and it was abundantly expressed in endothelial and in smooth muscle cells in male mouse heart, let us hypothesize that aromatase might also be involved in desflurane- induced cardioprotection in cardiac ischemia/reperfusion model. Here, CYP19A1 is linked to myocardial ischemia.