['To investigate the effects of alterations of nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2) availability on platelet-mediated electrophysiological effects during myocardial ischaemia.', 'Transmembrane action potentials and electrograms were recorded from isolated, Langendorff-perfused guinea-pig hearts during normal perfusion, global myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion during infusion of washed human platelets. Experiments were performed in the presence of 100 microM NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), 30 microM L-arginine, 10 microM haemoglobin, 100 microM sodium nitroprusside and 2.3 nM iloprost, or using hearts obtained from DL-lysine monoacetylsalicylate (Aspisol, 50 mg.kg-1 i.p.)-treated animals.', 'Perfusion with L-NAME and haemoglobin increased perfusion pressure by 33% (P = 0.0017) and 23% (P = 0.0026) while sodium nitroprusside and iloprost reduced it (17%, P = 0.0004, and 24%, P = 0.0006). In the absence of platelets, these compounds had no effect on arrhythmogenesis, but in the presence of platelets L-NAME reduced the onset time of ventricular tachycardia during ischaemia from 19.4 (s.e.m. 2.0) min to 12.9 (2.1) min, P = 0.04 and accentuated the ischaemia-induced reduction of action potential duration at 95% repolarization (APD95): 95(6) vs. 115(5) ms, P < 0.05 at 25 min. Sodium nitroprusside in the presence of platelets attenuated the ischaemia-induced reduction in APD95, while iloprost in the presence of platelets was antiarrhythmic (ventricular fibrillation 25 vs. 75%, P = 0.04) and attenuated the reduction in APD95 during ischaemia 115(4) vs. 94(4) ms, P < 0.05 at 20 min. Infusion of platelets into hearts obtained from DL-lysine-monoacetylsalicylate-treated guinea-pigs accentuated the ischaemia-induced reduction in APD95 (94(4) vs. 119(7) ms, P < 0.05 at 20 min) and this was reversed by sodium nitroprusside (117(7) ms, P < 0.05 at 20 min). L-NAME and haemoglobin had no effect on the aggregatory responses of the platelets to 5 microM ADP and 4 micrograms.ml-1 collagen, while sodium nitroprusside and iloprost ablated the responses to ADP and reduced the responses to collagen (maximum height of the aggregatory response reduced by 75 and 84%, respectively, both P = 0.03.)'] Do nitric oxide and prostacyclin modulate the alterations in cardiac action potential duration mediated by platelets during ischaemia?