Early cardioprotection can be achieved by a brief ischaemia of noncardiac tissues. Our study examined whether a brief ischaemia of the small intestine induces both early and delayed cardioprotection in the rabbit and assessed the possible mechanism involved in the activation of capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves. The plasma concentration of creatine kinase (CK) and infarct size (necrotic zone/left ventricular zone) after 30 min coronary artery occlusion and 180 min reperfusion were determined in rabbits. Infarct size was 35.5+/-6.8% in the control non-preconditioned group. Preconditioning induced by a brief period of 10-min small intestine ischaemia significantly reduced infarct size (6.5+/-1.9%, P<0.01 vs. the control non-preconditioned group) and decreased CK release (3092+/-236 and 1094+/-117 U/l for myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion and preconditioning plus myocardial ischemia-reperfusion, respectively, P<0.01), and the protection was partly abolished by pretreatment with capsaicin (50 mg/kg, s.c.) 4 days before the experiments. A brief period of anterior mesenteric artery occlusion caused an increase in the plasma level of calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity (CGRP-LI), an effect which was abolished by pretreatment with capsaicin. Similar protection was shown in the animals subjected to a brief period of anterior mesenteric artery occlusion 24 h before coronary artery occlusion, and this delayed protection was also abolished partly by pretreatment with capsaicin. Capsaicin treatment (50 mg/kg, s.c.) alone also protected the ischaemic myocardium. The results suggest that brief ischaemia of the small intestine induces both early and delayed protection against reperfusion-induced myocardial injury, and the effects are, at least partly, related to the activation of capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves.