Activation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a heme-degrading enzyme responsive to a wide range of cellular stress, is traditionally considered to convey adap-tive responses to oxidative stress, inflammation and vaso-constriction. These diversified effects are achieved through the degradation of heme to carbon monoxide (CO), bili-verdin (which is rapidly converted to bilirubin by biliverdin reductase) and ferric iron. Recent findings have added antiproliferative and angiogenic effects to the list of HO-1/ CO actions. HO-1 along with its reaction products bilirubin and CO are protective against ischemia-induced injury (myocardial infarction, ischemia—reperfusion (IR)-injury and post-infarct structural remodelling). Moreover, HO-1, and CO in particular, possess acute antihypertensive effects. As opposed to these curative potentials, the long-believed protective effect of HO-1 in cardiac remodelling in response to pressure overload and type 2 diabetes mel-litus (DM) has been questioned by recent work. These challenges, coupled with emerging regulatory mechanisms, motivate further in-depth studies to help understand untapped layers of HO-1 regulation and action. The outcomes of these efforts may shed new light on critical mechanisms that could be used to harness the protective potential of this enzyme for the therapeutic benefit of patients suffering from such highly prevalent cardiovas-cular disorders. Keywords HO-1 Á Nrf2 Á Cardiac ischemia Á Ischemia–reperfusion injury Á Diabetic/diet-induced cardiomyopathy Á Myocardial hypertrophy