Two main points were adressed in this disertation. Effects of white wine and macerated white wine consumption on the expression of inflammatory markers/mediators (MMP-2, MMP-9, NF-κB and TGF-β1) and on inflammatory cells infiltration (neutrofils and monocytes/macrophages) in myocardial tissue after experimentally induced permanent myocardial ischemia were investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given either a combination of different white wines or water only, for 28 days. After coronary ligation, animals were left to survive for 24 hours. Three representative areas: infarct/ischemic, periinfarct/ border zone, and control/non-ischemic zones were analyzed for the expression of immunoreactivity by measuring the threshold area % of signal density for inflammatory markers. Same areas were analysed for total number of MPO (neutrophils) and CD68 (moncytes-macrophages) positive cells per area of view. For MMP-9, significantly smaller expression was found in all 3 zones of wine drinking animals (P < 0.001). There was no difference in MMP-2 immunoreactivity between two groups, except in peri-infarct zones, where the signal was significantly decreased (P < 0.001). The same pattern of expression was found for the NF-κB p65 signal, although no differences between experimental groups were observed for TGF-β1. There was no difference between polyphenol- rich white wine and standard white wine consumption for any of the abovementioned markers. Smaller expression for both MPO and CD68 was found in all three peri-infarct zones of wine drinking animals (p<0.001). There was no difference in expression of leukocyte markers between animals drinking standard and polyphenol-rich white wine, although for CD68, a non-significant attenuation was noticed. In sham animals, a sub-epicardial MPO/CD68 immunoreactive ‘inflammatory ring’ is described. Standard white wine consumption caused attenuation of expression of MPO but not of CD68 in these animals. Main highlights of our investigation are that white wine consumption, regardless of its polyphenol content, decreases the expression of the investigated inflammatory markers/mediators in the peri-infarct zone, suggesting its significant modulatory potential. For MMP-9 and MMP-2, expression was similar to the effect of postischemic reperfusion. No effect on TGF-β1 was observed, highlighting its role in being the masterswitch, changing from the inflammatory to the proliferative stage of infarct healing. Finally, we conclude that white wine consumption positively modulates peri-infarct inflammatory infiltration.