10 Targeting in Myocardial Infarction

Targeting pharmaceuticals to the infarcted myocardium has two primary objectives: the diagnostic imaging of the infarcted myocardium and the delivery of therapeutic agents to compromised myocardial areas. Various diagnostic and therapeutic agents (such as radiolabeled compounds, thrombolytic enzymes, proteolytic drugs, and antioxidants) have been proposed for visualization or treatment of the infarcted myocardium. However, none of these reagents has the specificity for targeting the compromised myocardium. Therefore, the availability of a target-specific delivery system should increase the efficacy of diagnosis and therapy. Furthermore, the existence of such a targeted delivery system may pave the way for the use of new pharmaceuticals that by themselves can be harmful to normal tissues.