This study evaluated the effects of dexamethasone (DXM) on contractile function of reperfused extensor digitalis longus (EDL) muscles following 3-hour ischemia and 24-hour reperfusion. The rats were divided into four groups: normal muscle, ischemia with saline treatment, ischemia/reperfusion with saline treatment, and ischemia/reperfusion with DXM treatment groups. DXM (0.6 mg kg[-1]) or saline (3.0 ml kg[-1]) was administered at 3 hours prior to ischemia. Results showed that although contractile force in all three treated groups was significantly lower than that of normal EDL, the average isometric tetanic contractile force in the DXM-treated group was significantly greater than that in the saline-treated ischemia and ischemia/reperfusion groups. A significant difference was also seen at the peak force and at 5 seconds of the fatigue trains, and with a longer fatigue half-time (FT1/2) in the DXM-treated group than in the other two groups. Histologically, edema, inflammation and necrosis of muscle fiber were less severe in the DXM-treated group than in the saline-treated group. The results indicate that pretreatment with DXM appears to attenuate, but does not completely reverse, the contractile function deficit of ischemic skeletal muscle during the first 24 hours of reperfusion.