The Blue infarct: a simple method for the quantification of myocardial damage in the rat

ABSTRACT

Evans blue dye was injected in vitro rats 24 h before left coronary occlusion (CO) and the dye content extracted with formamide was estimated after various time intervals in the 1) right ventricle, 2) left ventricle above the ligature and 3) the rest of the left ventricle. There was no difference between portion 1 and 2 but portion 3 showed a progressive increase in dye content (2 to 3 fold) up to 24 h after CO. This result indicates that either the infarcted area possesses collateral circulation or a continuous blood backflow occurred. Dexamethasone (0.5 mg/kg) but not indomethacin (2 mg/kg) or BW755C (10 mg/kg) abolished extravasation of the dye