BACKGROUND:Many immunohistochemical markers have been used in the postmortem detection of early myocardial infarction.AIM:In the present study we examined the role of Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP), in the detection of early myocardial infarction.MATERIAL AND METHODS:We obtained samples from 40 human autopsy hearts with/without histopathological signs of ischemia.RESULTS:All cases of definite and probable myocardial infarction showed a well-defined area of H-FABP depletion. All of the control cases showed strong H-FABP expression, except two markedly autolysed myocardial samples that showed affected antigenicity.CONCLUSION:Thus, we suggest H-FABP as being one of the valuable tools facing the problem of postmortem detection of early myocardial infarction/ischemia, but not in autolysis.

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