Fatty acids are known to increase the severity of injury during acute myocardial ischemia. In this study, we determined the effects of a carnitine palmitoyltransferase I inhibitor, ethyl 2-[6-(4-chlorophenoxy)hexyl]oxirane-2-carboxylate (Etomoxir) on reperfusion recovery of fatty acid perfused hearts. Following a 25-minute period of global ischemia, isolated working hearts reperfused with 1.2 mM palmitate, 11 mM glucose exhibited depressed function compared to hearts perfused with 11 mM glucose alone. A low dose of Etomoxir (10(-9) M) decreased long chain acylcarnitine and long chain acyl-coenzyme A (CoA) levels but did not prevent depressed function. In contrast, a high dose of Etomoxir (10(-6) M) prevented the palmitate-induced depression of function but did not decrease myocardial long chain acylcarnitine or long chain acyl-CoA levels. At this high dose of Etomoxir, oxygen consumption per unit work was decreased during reperfusion recovery, and ATP and creatine-phosphate levels were significantly higher after reperfusion. In aerobic hearts not subjected to ischemia, Etomoxir (10(-6) M) increased glucose oxidation both in the presence and absence of palmitate, while 10(-9) M Etomoxir had no effect. In these aerobic hearts, only the low dose of Etomoxir decreased long chain acylcarnitine and long chain acyl-CoA levels. These data demonstrate that Etomoxir (10(-6) M) increases functional recovery of fatty acid perfused ischemic hearts. This protection is unrelated to changes in levels of long chain acylcarnitines but may be due to increased glucose use by the reperfused heart, resulting in decreased oxygen consumption per unit work.