Myocardial infarction treated with two lymphagogues, calcium dobesilate (CLS 2210) and hyaluronidase: a coded, placebo-controlled animal study.

The effects on the evolution of canine myocardial infarction (MI) of the lymphagogues hyaluronidase (hyaluronate glucanohydrolase) (known to reduce the size of MIs) and calcium dobesilate (calcium, 2,5-dihydroxybenzenesulfonate, CLS 2210) were compared in a coded, placebo-controlled study in 48 dogs, during the first 24 h after coronary occlusion. MI was induced by embolization of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery. The animals were given either a placebo, CLS 2210, or hyaluronidase by intravenous infusion begun immediately after embolization and continued for 24h. The volume of myocardial tissue at risk was evaluated at 2 and 24 h by ungated computed tomography (CT), and after necropsy by staining myocardial sections with triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC). Electrocardiography and estimation of serum creatine kinase (CK) activity were also performed. In the 25 animals that survived 24 h, the results of all tests showed that there was less myocardial damage in the animals treated with the two lymphagogues than in those treated with placebo, and less damage with CLS 2210 than with hyaluronidase. The good correlation between the volume of ischemic tissue as assessed by CT in vivo and as assessed by TTC staining after necropsy (r = 0.959) confirms that the CT perfusion phase defect accurately reflects the volume of tissue at risk during the evolution of MI. This study has shown that CLS 2210 is at least as effective as hyaluronidase in reducing myocardial damage due to coronary artery occlusion in dogs.