Ventricular arrhythmias were studied in rat isolated hearts subjected to coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion. Free radicals in the perfusate were detected by continuous flow luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. Administration of purine (2.3 mM) and xanthine oxidase (0.12 U ml-1 min-1) did not significantly modify the severity of reperfusion-induced arrhythmias but did generate free radicals. No free radical generation was detected during the period of coronary artery occlusion or reperfusion. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) 20-80 U ml-1 did not alter the severity of reperfusion arrhythmias but, in the presence of 80 U ml-1 SOD, occlusion-induced arrhythmias were augmented. SOD did not produce any effect on haemodynamics at the concentrations tested. Ventricular arrhythmias and cardiac haemodynamics were also not significantly changed by the combination of scavengers, SOD (10 U ml-1), catalase (100 U ml-1) and mannitol (20 mM). These data suggest that the superoxide free radical is unlikely to be the primary cause of reperfusion induced arrhythmias in rat isolated hearts subjected to regional ischaemia.