The prophylactic effect of dipyridamole on the size of myocardial infarction following coronary artery occlusion.

Experimental myocardial infarction was induced in adult female Sprague-Dawley rats by ligation of the left coronary artery. During four weeks preceding the operation the animals were given dipyridamole (3 mg/kg initial body weight) i.p. twice a day 5 days per week. Control animals were given saline. Ten days after the operation the rats were killed and the hearts serially sectioned and stained. The volumes of necrotic and non-necrotic myocardial tissue were determined by morphometry on the histological sections. In the dipyridamole-treated animals the volume of non-necrotic myocardium was larger and the necrotic tissue volume smaller than in the control animals.