AIM:To study the effects of noninvasive delayed limb ischemia preconditioning ( NDLIP) on ani-mal cardiac function , myocardial morphology and myocardial apoptosis after myocardial infarction ( MI ) .METHODS:Healthy SD male rats [n=45, weighing (250 ±10) g] were randomly divided into 3 groups:MI group:the animal model of MI was established by surgical ligation of left anterior descending artery ( LAD) after 2 weeks;NDLIP group:after the success of the MI animal model , NDLIP was carried out every other day until the 4th, 6th and 8th weeks;sham group:as the negative control group , the animals were taken heart LAD threading but no ligation .All rats were fed conventionally .At the end of the 4th, 6th and 8th weeks, all rats were made ventricular intubation , and then the hemodynamic parameters were recorded .The blood samples were withdrawn from the abdominal aorta and the serum was separated via centrifugation . The serum contents of Bcl-2 and Bax were measured by ELISA .Left ventricular anterior wall was homogenized .The mito-chondrial respiratory chain complexes Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲand Ⅳin the myocardial tissues were detected by ELISA .RESULTS:At the end of the 4th, 6th and 8th weeks, compared with MI group, left ventricular systolic pressure in NDLIP group was significantly increased , while left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in NDLIP group was significantly decreased ( both P<0.05).Mitochondrial respiratory chain complexesⅠ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ in NDLIP group were significantly increased (P<0.05).The serum level of Bcl-2 in NDLIP group was significantly increased and Bax level was reduced remarkably (both P<0.01) .CONCLUSION:NDLIP improves the hemodynamic indexes , promotes the mitochondrial respiratory function and inhibits cell apoptosis , thus improving the prognosis of MI .