Reperfusion injury after coronary occlusion is in part mediated by leukocyte activation and adhesion. Platelets may interact with polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs), causing aggravated reperfusion injury. We studied whether c7E3Fab, a chimeric Fab fragment blocking platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa, decreases PMN-platelet-dependent myocardial dysfunction after ischemia. Isolated guinea pig hearts (n=5 per group) perfused at a constant flow of 5 mL/min were subjected to ischemia (15 minutes, 37 degrees C) and reperfusion. Human PMNs (10x10(6) cells, 3 mL), platelets (400x10(6), 3 mL), and fibrinogen (1 mg/mL) were infused for 3 minutes after 2 minutes of reperfusion, with or without c7E3Fab. Flow cytometry detected GPIIb/IIIa (platelets) and MAC-1 (aMbeta2, PMNs) as well as coaggregates of both in the effluent, whereas double-fluorescence microscopy visualized intracoronary PMN-platelet coaggregates. Postischemic recovery of pressure-volume work (12-cm H(2)O preload and 60-mm Hg afterload) was defined as the ratio of postischemic to preischemic external heart work (mean+/-SEM). c7E3Fab reduced platelet GPIIb/IIIa detection to 10% of controls, blocked a transcoronary MAC-1 increase (+25% without versus -23% with c7E3Fab), and inhibited PMN-platelet coaggregation in the effluent (49+/-12% without versus 17+/-2% with c7E3Fab) as well as in the hearts themselves (5.0+/-0.7/cm(2) without versus 1.2+/-0.3/cm(2) surface area with c7E3Fab). Postischemic recovery of external heart work (83+/-5% in cell-free hearts) declined to 46+/-4% after postischemic PMN-platelet infusion, but not in the presence of c7E3Fab (74+/-11%) or LPM19c (71+/-6%). We conclude that c7E3Fab inhibits formation of PMN-platelet aggregates during myocardial reperfusion, an effect that protects against PMN-platelet-dependent stunning.