The effect of metabolic substrate fructose on the force of contraction of isolated rat atria depressed with lidocaine was determined. Fructose produced dose-dependent increase in the force of contraction of isolated atria depressed by substrate-free Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate medium. The maximally effective concentration of fructose was 30 mM. The isolated atria, suspended in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate glucose medium aerated with 95% O2-5%CO2 at 30˚C and pH 7.4, were depressed 50% by approximately 2.34 mg/100 ml of lidocaine. Addition of 30 mM fructose to these depressed atria resulted in a marked increase in the contractile force similar to that with pyruvate and acetate. Fructose had no significant effect, however, on atria exposed to low-calcium medium. The results are consistent with a previous report suggesting blockade by lidocaine of the uptake or utilization of glucose in the glycolytic pathway, and further pinpoint the blockade as an early step in the glycolytic sequence prior to the phospho-fructokinase step.