Oxidant stress plays a crucial role in the triggering of cardioprotection involving ischemic preconditioning (IPC). We have used biotin-tagged cysteine to probe for redox-modified proteins in IPC protocols. Cysteine was biotinylated and introduced into isolated rat hearts. S-Thiolated proteins were detected and quantified using nonreducing western blots probed with streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase. Controls (15 min of aerobic perfusion plus 5 min of 0.5 mM biotin-cysteine plus 5 min of aerobic perfusion) showed low-level protein S-thiolation. Hearts preconditioned with 5 min of ischemia and reperfused for 5 min with biotin-cysteine plus 5 min of aerobic perfusion showed increased thiolation (160%) that was fully blocked by the antioxidant mercaptopropionylglycine, which is also known to block IPC. "Preconditioning" agonists (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or phenylephrine) or oxidants (hydrogen peroxide or diamide) administered during aerobic preparations to biotin-cysteine-loaded hearts induced efficient protein S-thiolation. Preconditioning agonist-induced S-thiolation was significantly attenuated by diphenyleneiodonium (a flavoprotein inhibitor) or by the protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I. Additional studies testing the role of a Nox2-containing NAD(P)H oxidase as the source of the oxidant stress essential to the triggering IPC showed that protein S-thiolation was the same in wild-type and Nox2 knockout mice.