Quantifying NE, TNF-α, and Protein Expression

NE and TNF-α concentration in heart tissues, perfusate, and cell supernatants were determined using the NE research enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit (ALPCO#17-NORHU-E01-RES) and the TNF-α Quantikine ELISA kit (R&D System#RTA00), respectively. The western blotting assays of proteins were performed using standard protocol^{22 (link)}. Antibodies for western blotting assays are available in the Supplementary Methods. Quantitative RT-PCR assay of relative mRNA expression was analyzed using standard real-time PCR protocol according to TAKARA qPCR kits. In brief, total RNA was reverse transcribed using a PrimeScript^TM RT Reagent Kit (TAKARA#RR047A). Real-time PCR were performed with the SYBR Premix Ex Taq II (TAKARA#RR820A) in a LightCycler480 real-time PCR system. Primer sequences for genes are shown in Table S3.