A comparative study on the immunohistochemical detection of early myocardial damage

The study was undertaken to evaluate the kinetics and distribution patterns of several immunohistochemical markers in ischemically and hypoxically damaged myocardium. The myocardium of 8 cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 8 cases of diagnosed acute cardiac death (ACD) and 12 cases of acute exogenic hypoxia (AEH) due to CO poisoning or hanging were analysed for depletion of the cardiac antigens FABP, troponin C and T, desmin and myoglobin, loss of CD59 and deposition of the plasma antigens fibrinogen, fibronectin and the terminal complement complex C5b-9. The visualisation of the terminal complement complex was positive as early as 30 min after onset of symptoms of AMI. Depletion of cellular antigens started earlier than the deposition of plasma antigens. The deposition of fibronectin and fibrinogen began earlier than the detection of C5b-9 but later than the depletion of the cellular antigens. Our findings indicate that for the immunohistochemical detection of very early myocardial damage, the depletion of myoglobin is at least of the same rank or better than depletion of FABP and troponin.