The release of oxygen free radicals from ischemic myocardium has been implicated as a causative factor of cardiac dysfunction after thermal injury. In this study, isolated coronary perfused guinea pig hearts were used to determine if free radical scavengers improve left ventricular (LV) intrinsic contractile response to burn shock. Parameters measured included peak isovolumic LV pressure (LVP) and maximal rate of LVP rise (+dP/dtmax) and fall (-dP/dtmax) at a constant preload. Control animals were immersed in body temperature water and divided into four groups: Group 1, untreated N = 10; Group 2, control animals treated with unbound superoxide dismutase (SOD), N = 5; Group 3, control animals treated with ficoll-SOD, N = 5; and Group 4, control animals treated with PEG-SOD, N = 5. Scald burn equivalent to 45% of total body surface area was produced in 64 animals. Fluid resuscitation was initiated immediately after burn in all animals, and animals were then divided into seven burn experimental groups. In Group 5, 10 animals were treated with fluid alone, lactated Ringer's, 4 mL/kg/% burn. Burned animals in Group 6 (N = 10) received a reduced volume of Ringer's 2 mL/kg/% burn plus unbound-SOD, 50 mg/kg; 10 animals in Group 7 received this volume of Ringer's plus ficoll-SOD, 50 mg/kg. In groups 8, 9, and 10 animals were given fluid, lactated Ringer's, 2 mL/kg/% burn plus varying doses of PEG-SOD (Group 8: N = 9, 1,000 U; Group 9: N = 10, 6,000 U; Group 10: N = 5, 12,000 U). In Group 11 (N = 10), animals received SOD-PEG, 6,000 U, plus catalase, CAT-PEG, 6,000 U, given with 4 mL/kg/% burn lactated Ringer's solution. Hypotension, hypothermia, and hemoconcentration were similar in all animals after thermal injury, regardless of treatment regimen. Burn hearts showed significantly lower LVP, +dP/dt max, and -dP/dt max than control hearts (P less than 0.05). Compared to controls, coronary pressure and coronary vascular resistance were significantly higher in all treated burn groups. There was no significant difference in heart rate or time to peak pressure or time to maximal contraction or relaxation among the groups. Left ventricular function curves for burned hearts were shifted downward and to the right of curves obtained from control hearts (P less than 0.01), regardless of scavenger treatment. PEG-SOD, 6,000 U, improved left ventricular contractility (+dP/dt) at maximal levels of end-diastolic pressure but deficits in left ventricular pressure and relaxation persisted.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)