Recently, it has been reported that exogenous administration of recombinant GDF-11 (rGDF-11) reduced myocardial damage after an ischemia-reperfusion event improving cardiac function, in a Sprague-Dawley rat model; the mechanism proposed implied an increase in the expression of hemoxygenase 1 (HO-1) and a decrease in oxidative damage [78]. The gene discussed is GDF11; the disease is ischemia.