Present results showed that donepezil inhibits MMP-9, a member of the MMP family, in macrophages and attenuates infiltration of inflammatory cells into the infarcted myocardium, thereby reduces the risk of cardiac rupture during the acute phase of MI, suggesting that donepezil can be a new potential candidate for a clinically useful drug for heart failure therapy. This evidence concerns the gene MMP9 and myocardial infarction.