Activation of inflammation and enzyme cyclooxygenase with formation of proinflammatory prostaglandins is a key element of development of myocardial infarction in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Basing on literature data and own experience we suggested that single intravenous injection of 230 mg/kg of nonselective inhibitor of type 1 and 2 cyclooxygenase lornaxicam in the phase of initialization of inflammation 20 min after onset of ischemia would lead to reduction of myocardial infarction volume in rats in irreversible ischemia and ischemia with subsequent reperfusion. The conducted study allowed to reveal that administration of lornoxicam in recommended for human use dose lowered mortality of animals and increased number of capillaries per one cardiomyocyte in case of irreversible coronary artery occlusion. In ischemia-reperfusion as in irreversible myocardial ischemia lornoxicam reduced volume of necrosis and degree of thinning of left ventricular wall in the region of infarction, and lowered volume of connective tissue in periinfarction zone of the myocardium in remote period.

Semax, a member of ACTH-derived peptides family, was used in treatment of ischemic stroke in patients. It decreased neurological deficiency and reduced NO hyperproduction in the rat brain caused by acute cerebral hypoperfusion. We suggest that semax is also capable of protecting the rat heart from ischemic damage 28 days after myocardial infarction (MI) induced by left descendent coronary artery occlusion. Semax (150 microg/kg) was given i. p. in the operating day twice: 15 min and 2 hours after coronary occlusion, and once a day for the following 6 days. In 28 days after infarction, the MI group developed cardiac hypertrophy, cell growth was caused mainly by the increase of contractile filaments not supported by the appropriate mitochondrial growth that indicated an impaired energy supply of the cells. Moreover, cardiac hypertrophy was accompanied by decreased mean arterial blood pressure and cardiac contractile function and increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. Pharmacological change of cardiac afterload revealed that, in 28 days after MI, the rat heart was not able to change its contractile performance in response to either increase or decrease of systemic blood pressure, and as a result could not maintain its diastolic pressure. All these changes obviously reflect development of heart failure. Semax did not affect cardiac work but partially prevented end-diastolic pressure growth in left ventricle as well as ameliorated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and disproportionate growth of contractile and mitochondrial apparatus, thus exerting beneficial effect on the left ventricular remodeling and heart failure development late after myocardial infarction.