Influence of a lymphagogue, CLS 2210, on regional cardiac lymphatics and the electrocardiogram after coronary artery occlusion in the dog.

To examine the role of cardiac lymphatic drainage in myocardial infarction, we quantified the effect of a lymphogogue, CLS 2210, on the number and appearance of myocardial lymphatics as well as the electrocardiogram following coronary occlusion in the dog. Thirty minutes and six hours after intravenous administration of the benzenesulfonate compound, (CLS 2210) cardiac lymphatics in the distribution of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) were determined and further delineated by postmortem cardiac lymphangiograms. The results were compared with treated and untreated dogs without and with descending coronary artery ligation including the noninfarcted zone; that is, myocardium within the distribution of left circumflex coronary (LCC) artery. After 30 minutes in dogs receiving CLS 2210 without LAD ligation, number of lymphatics (point count/cm2, see Methods) were respectively--LAD zone: 2.62 +/- 0.11 or 10.9% of left ventricular (LV) surface; LCC zone: 2.87 +/- 0.10, whereas after six hours--LAD zone 8.04 +/- 0.03 or 32.3% LV surface; LCC zone--8.13 +/- 0.06 compared with untreated controls--LAD zone 1.71 +/- 0.11 or 6.6% of LV surface; LCC zone 1.65 +/- 0.12 (p less than 0.0001). At similar intervals in dogs with LAD ligation, the findings were at 30 minutes LAD zone 0.78 +/- 0.07 or 3.1% of LV surface and at 360 minutes was 0.80 +/- 0.08 or 3.3% of LV surface. In conjunction with CLS 2210 administration, however, LAD zone showed at 30 minutes 2.50 +/- 0.12 or 10% of LV surface (p less than .01) and at 360 minutes was 10.34 +/- 0.03 or 35.1% of LV surface.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)