Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha independently induce cardioprotection against ischemia in the rat at 24 h after administration, suggesting that endogenously synthesized TNF-alpha may play a role in LPS-induced protection. The purposes of this study were 1) to delineate the time course of LPS-induced cardiac functional protection against ischemia and its relation with myocardial and circulating TNF-alpha profile, 2) to examine whether prior protein synthesis inhibition abrogates the protection, and 3) to assess the effects of TNF-alpha inhibition and neutralization on the protection. Rats were treated with LPS (0.5 mg/kg i.p.). Cardiac functional resistance to normothermic global ischemia-reperfusion was examined at sequential time points after LPS treatment in isolated hearts by the Langendorff technique. Myocardial and circulating TNF-alpha was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at 1-24 h after LPS treatment. Protection was apparent at 24 h, 3 days, and 7 days but not at 2 or 12 h. Maximal protection at 3 days was abolished by cycloheximide pretreatment (0.5 mg/kg i.p. 3 h before LPS treatment). Increases in myocardial and circulating TNF-alpha preceded the acquisition of protection. Dexamethasone pretreatment (4.0 or 8.0 mg/kg i.p. 30 min before LPS treatment) abolished peak increase in myocardial TNF-alpha and substantially suppressed circulating TNF-alpha (54.3 and 85.9% inhibition, respectively) without an influence on the maximal protection. Similarly, maximal protection was not affected by TNF binding protein (40 or 80 microg/kg i.v. immediately after LPS treatment). The results suggest that LPS-induced cardiac functional protection against ischemia is a delayed and long-lasting protective response that may involve de novo protein synthesis. Although LPS-induced increase in myocardial and circulating TNF-alpha precedes the delayed protection, it may not be required for the delayed protection.