In the early stage of MI, Wang et al. demonstrated in vitro that lactate raises H3K18la levels and enriches this mark at promoters of reparative genes such as Lrg1, Vegf-a and IL-10 in macrophages, promoting their transcription and thereby enhancing both anti-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic repair activities that facilitate cardiac repair post-MI. Here, IL10 is linked to myocardial infarction.