The delayed form of myocardial preconditioning is of particular interest because of its large window of protection. It involves many signalisation pathways who, along with transcription factors, activate cardioprotective genes. Amongst the latter, the hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) whose a subunit is stabilized by hypoxia, appears to play a pivotal role in the delayed preconditioning induced by hypoxia. The stabilisation of HIF-1alpha by inhibitors of prolyl-4-hydroxylases, the enzymes responsible for its degradation in normoxia, reproduces the cardioprotective effects of hypoxia. These enzymes represent promising therapeutic targets for the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases.