This study is aimed at checking whether treatment with glutathione (GL) and captopril (CA) before thrombolysis can further improve the protective effects of ACE-inhibitors in cases with anterior acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Ninety-eight double blind randomized patients (86 men and 12 women) showing symptoms of AMI anterior and undergoing thrombolytic treatment were admitted to our study and subdivided into 4 groups. Group A (25 pts) received thrombolytic treatment only, Group B (23 pts) received 3 g GL intravenously 15 min before thrombolysis and for 2 h thereafter, Group C (26 pts) received 6.25 mg CA orally 15 min before starting thrombolytic treatment, Group D (24 pts) received 3 g GL intravenously before thrombolysis and for 2 h thereafter, and captopril as well like group C. On the third day after AMI onset groups A and B received CA also. In all groups, the doses of CA were gradually increased according to blood pressure values. The following features were considered: a) the occurrence of early (within the first 2 h after thrombolysis) ventricular hyperkinetic arrhythmias; b) CK peak; c) the normalization time of CK peak (NT); d) the occurrence of late ventricular hyperkinetic arrhythmias (VHA) in the predischarge Holter test (Lown's class 2); e) ejection fraction (EF) being measured in 60 pts undergoing haemodynamic test. The results were an follows: Group A: VHA early 13/25, CK peak 1982 +/- 282; NT 71 +/- 2 h; Late VHA 8/25; EF 53.5 +/- 2.5% (16 pts). Group B: VHA early 11/23; CK peak 1917 +/- 242 U/l; NT 69 +/- 3 h; late VHA 7/23; EF 54.5 +/- 5.4% (14 pts). Group C: VHA early 4/26; CK peak 1671 +/- 266 U/l; NT 58 +/- 3 h; late VHA 5/26; EF 55.5 +/- 3% (16 pts). Group D: VHA early 3/24; CK peak 1463 +/- 201; NT 56 +/- 4 h; late VHA 5/24; EF 57.6 +/- 4% (14 pts).