Fructose 1,6-diphosphate (FdP) reportedly protects ischemic myocardium. To determine whether this is a direct action on the heart, we used a canine model in which two coronary arteries were perfused at identical but reduced rates. Into one artery we infused FdP (total doses of 400 mg or 1.8 g) while the other received 0.9% NaCl. After 1 h, biopsies were taken from a normal region and the two ischemic regions and were analyzed for ATP, phosphocreatine (PC), and lactate content. In the 0.9% NaCl-treated ischemic tissue, ATP and PC fell to half the nonischemic levels. The FdP-treated tissue exhibited high-energy phosphate levels similar to the 0.9% NaCl-treated tissue with no significant differences between the two ischemic areas. Lactate levels in both ischemic areas were elevated threefold above nonischemic levels. Contractility studies showed that infusion of FdP directly into the coronary artery depressed contractility in both nonischemic and ischemic conditions. Our data show that, if FdP does have a protective action in ischemia, it is not through a direct action on the heart.