Inhibition of HO-1 gene expression [11] or HO-1 gene knock-down [12] exacerbates while HO-1 gene overexpression [13], [14] attenuates myocardial infarction and ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial ischemia and reperfusion in mice. Here, HMOX1 is linked to myocardial ischemia.