Hyaluronidase-induced reductions in myocardial infarct size.

The size of myocardial infarctions following coronary artery occlusion in the rat was determined directly by measurement of creatine phosphokinase activity in homogenized whole left ventricles and by planimetric measurement of the area of the infarctions in histologic sections of serial slices of the left ventricles. Hyaluronidase was shown to produce significant reductions in expected infarct size both 48 hours and 3 weeks after occlusion without impairing fibrosis during the healing phase. Thus, the amount of myocardial necrosis that follows a coronary artery occlusion has been shown directly to be amenable to reduction with a pharmacological intervention.