We studied the effects of propranolol on degradation of cardiac structural proteins resulting from ischemia induced by 24 h ligation of the coronary artery in dogs. Degradation of myocardial myosin heavy chain, alpha-actinin and troponin-I was used as an indicator of degradation of cardiac structural proteins. In dogs with left circumflex coronary artery ligation, propranolol, given orally in the dose of 10 or 30 mg/kg, significantly reduced degradation of cardiac structural proteins. This can be supported by the facts that treatment with propranolol, 10 or 30 mg/kg, reduced release of cathepsins B, L and D from lysosome to cytosol in the ischemic tissue and that the reduced acidity of the ischemic tissue was improved by treatment with propranolol, 30 mg/kg. In conclusion, propranlol delays the necrotic development of the severely ischemic myocardial tissue as shown by reduced protein degradation.