In a previous double-blind, randomized study,
CLS 2210 (a new formulation of
calcium dobesilate) or placebo was administered by
intravenous infusion to 41 patients having their first acute
myocardial infarction. In the present study 19 comparable patients were treated intravenously with
streptokinase under identical conditions and the results compared with those from the previous study. In all patients administration was begun within three hours of onset of symptoms and continued over seventy-two hours. Blood samples were taken for the measurement of serum activity of
creatine kinase and its
isoenzyme MB, and the serum and urinary concentrations of
myoglobin and
glycosaminoglycans were also measured. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of
CLS 2210, placebo, and
streptokinase on these
biochemical markers of acute
myocardial infarction, thereby assessing their actions in limiting myocardial
necrosis. In the CLS 2210-treated patients, the levels of serum
creatine kinase and serum and urinary
myoglobin were significantly lower than in the placebo patients throughout the seventy-two hours (p = 0.01, 0.005, 0.004 respectively). The levels of
creatine kinase MB and serum
glycosaminoglycan in the
CLS 2210 patients were initially higher than in the placebo patients but fell below placebo levels between the fortieth and fifty-fifth hours, respectively (p = 0.89, 0.02). Only the
glycosaminoglycan urinary concentrations were higher in the
CLS 2210 group than in the placebo group throughout (p = 0.0005). The values for the six variables investigated showed no statistically significant difference between placebo and
streptokinase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)