Inhibitory Effect Of Prostacyclin Research Articles

Inhibitory Effect of Prostacyclin and Nitroprusside on Type IIB von Willebrand Factor-promoted Platelet Activation

Von Willebrand disease (vWD) of type IIB is a hereditary haemorrhagic disorder characterised by an excessive interaction of von Willebrand factor (vWF) with the platelet receptor GPIb which promotes platelet activation and aggregation through a phospholipase A2-mediated release of arachidonic acid. The present report shows that prostacyclin and nitroprusside, vasodilator-compounds that enhance the cAMP and cGMP concentration respectively, cause a drastic inhibition of the type IIB vWF-induced platelet responses including increase of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, phosphorylation of pleckstrin (47 kDa) and myosin light chain (20 kDa), secretion of ATP and serotonin, and aggregation parallel to a decrease of arachidonic acid release. Type IIB vWF also elicits tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins with apparent molecular mass of 60, 74, 82 and 130 kDa. Prostacyclin, which induces per se tyrosine-phosphorylation of proteins of about 38 and 45 kDa, inhibits drastically the type IIB vWF-promoted tyrosine-phosphorylation of the 74 kDa protein while inhibits slightly that of 60 kDa band. The protein tyrosine-kinase inhibitor genistein causes a little decrease in the type IIB vWF-induced release of arachidonic acid. It is concluded that the inhibition exerted by prostacyclin and nitroprusside on type IIB vWF-elicited platelet activation seems to be largely ascribable to prevention of the phospholipase A2 activation with the ensuing decrease of the subsequent protein tyrosine phosphorylation.

A cross-sectional study of platelet cyclic AMP in healthy and hypertensive pregnant women

1. Platelet activation in vivo occurs in healthy pregnant women and is more marked in women with preeclampsia. During pregnancy platelets have also been shown in vitro to be less susceptible to the inhibitory effects of prostacyclin. The cyclic nucleotide cyclic AMP has a key role as an inhibitory second messenger in platelets and mediates the inhibitory effects of prostacyclin. 2. We have studied cyclic AMP in relation to platelet behaviour in healthy pregnant women in the third trimester and in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia. Non-pregnant young women were used as controls. 3. Pharmacological agents which increase levels of cyclic AMP were significantly less effective as inhibitors of platelet activation during pregnancy, but there was no difference between the healthy and hypertensive pregnant subjects. 4. Basal platelet cyclic AMP levels were the same in all three groups. However, the production of cyclic AMP in response to a range of adenylate cyclase stimulators was reduced during pregnancy, but again there was no difference between healthy and hypertensive pregnant subjects. 5. The reduction in platelet cyclic AMP levels in pregnancy occurred not only with those adenylate cyclase stimulators which operate via surface receptors, but also on direct stimulation of the enzyme with forskolin. 6. The most likely explanation of these observations is a reduction in the ability of the platelet adenylate cyclase enzyme to respond to stimulation of the third trimester of pregnancy. The consequent reduction in formation of the inhibitory second messenger cyclic AMP may in part be responsible for platelet activation in vivo during pregnancy. There does not appear to be a further difference in platelet cyclic AMP production in hypertensive pregnant women.

Influence on Platelet Function by Heparin in Men with Unstable Coronary Artery Disease

Ninety-seven men with unstable coronary artery disease (CAD), i.e. unstable angina or a non Q-wave myocardial infarction, entered a double-blind placebo-controlled study with heparin intravenously 30,000-40,000 U daily. Platelet function was evaluated as ex vivo aggregation toward collagen and ADP and as the platelet inhibitory effect of prostacyclin, before and after 5 days of treatment. Heparin increased aggregation induced by ADP 1 microM from 39.6 +/- 3.1% to 52.1 +/- 4.1% (p = 0.014) and reduced the inhibition of aggregation by prostacyclin 1.0 ng/ml from 59.6 +/- 3.7% to 39.3 +/- 5.6% (p less than 0.001). No changes occurred in the placebo group. Thus, treatment with heparin enhances the platelet sensitivity to ADP and decreases the platelet inhibitory effect of prostacyclin in men with unstable CAD. Concomitant treatment with acetylsalicylic acid abolishes the increased response to ADP, but does not seem to influence the interaction between heparin and prostacyclin.

Platelet Reactivity in Unstable Coronary Artery Disease

Unstable coronary artery disease (CAD) might be related to obstructions of coronary blood flow by platelet aggregates. In 121 men and 43 women admitted to the coronary care unit with suspected unstable CAD, blood samples for tests of platelet function were obtained within 24 hours after admission. Platelet reactivity was tested in vitro in platelet rich plasma as the aggregability towards ADP 1 microM and collagen 1 mg/ml and as the sensitivity to prostacyclin (PSP). The levels of beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 were determined ex vivo in platelet poor plasma. Patients who developed a nontransmural myocardial infarction (n = 39) or had signs of myocardial ischemia at an exercise test performed within a week (n = 39) were considered to have unstable CAD while patients without signs of ischemia constituted the control group. In the acute phase the PSP was reduced in patients with unstable CAD without any difference between genders. The aggregability towards ADP was higher in women than men but otherwise there were no differences between groups or sexes in any other test in the acute phase. After 12 months there were no differences in PSP between the groups but women had a lower PSP than men. Thus, in the acute phase of unstable CAD, the platelet sensitivity to the inhibitory effects of prostacyclin was reduced which might contribute to the risk for further platelet aggregation, coronary occlusion and myocardial infarction.

Decreased Prostacyclin Sensitivity of Platelets in Patients with Behcet'S Syndrome

Patients with Behcet's syndrome have an increased risk of arterial and venous thrombosis, and abnormal platelet function has been implicated. Platelet function was studied in nine patients with Behcet's syndrome and in nine age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Platelet aggregation in response to ADP was measured, and the threshold concentration required to produce irreversible aggregation determined. Sensitivity of platelets to the inhibitory effect of prostacyclin was also determined. In addition, plasma levels of the platelet-specific proteins, beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4, and stimulated platelet thromboxane B2 production, were measured. Platelets from patients with Behcet's syndrome showed normal aggregation in response to ADP, irrespective of disease activity. Platelet sensitivity to prostacyclin was, however, decreased compared with controls--with a mean prostacyclin ID50 of 5.5 +/- 1.3 ng ml-1 (mean +/- SEM) and 1.9 +/- 0.3 ng ml-1, respectively (P less than 0.01). This reduction in platelet sensitivity to prostacyclin was greatest in patients with the most active disease. These results suggest that Behcet's syndrome may be associated with altered platelet function, and this may have important consequences with regard to the increased risk of thrombosis associated with this condition.

Platelet prostacyclin binding in coronary artery disease

Reduced responsiveness of platelets to prostacyclin, reported in vitro in patients with coronary artery disease, has been thought to be a factor predisposing toward coronary thrombosis and vasospasm as a result of enhanced in vivo release of cyclic endoperoxides and thromboxane A2 by the platelets. In this study, specific binding of prostacyclin to intact platelets was determined in patients with coronary artery disease by direct binding studies using 9-3H-prostacyclin sodium salt. In addition, the inhibitory effect of prostacyclin on primary aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP) accumulation stimulated by prostacyclin was examined. Twenty patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease and stable angina, 8 patients with acute myocardial infarction, 14 healthy volunteers and 10 patients with normal angiograms were studied. In patients with stable angina, binding capacity and affinity of platelet prostacyclin binding sites and prostacyclin-induced cyclic AMP accumulation were not different from those of control subjects. In patients with acute myocardial infarction, however, binding capacity of platelet prostacyclin receptors was significantly reduced (0.69 +/- 0.45 versus 1.35 +/- 0.37 pmol/10(9) platelets, p = 0.001) and the postreceptor response, represented by platelet responsiveness to prostacyclin and prostacyclin-induced cyclic AMP synthesis, was impaired. Because all patients with myocardial infarction were receiving intravenous heparin and nitroglycerin, which might interfere with platelet prostacyclin binding, competition experiments were performed in vitro. Neither heparin (3 to 250 IU/ml) nor nitroglycerin (0.8 to 22 microM) displaced specifically bound 9-3H-prostacyclin. L-Epinephrine in concentrations up to 10 microM also exhibited no competition with specific platelet prostacyclin binding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Platelet Behaviour in Mothers and Neonates

Blood platelet behaviour was compared in mothers at birth and their babies, and in non-pregnant, female controls. Platelet responses to arachidonic acid (AA) and to adrenaline were measured in platelet-rich plasma and the inhibitory effects of prostacyclin (PGI2) were determined. Platelets from the mothers differed from those from the neonates and controls in that lower concentrations of AA were needed to induce platelet aggregation and a release reaction. In addition, more PGI2 was needed to inhibit AA-induced platelet aggregation. Platelets from the neonates differed from the mothers and controls in that they were almost completely insensitive to adrenaline. They did not differ from the controls in their sensitivity to AA or PGI2 but the extent of the release reaction induced by AA was significantly reduced.

Inhibitory effect of prostacyclin (PGI 2) on neutropenia induce by intravenous injection of platelet-activating-factor (PAF) in the rabbit

Intravenous injection into rabbits of 1-O-octadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine (synthetic Platelet-Activating Factor (PAF)) or PAF derived from rabbit basophils caused acute thrombocytopenia and neutropenia which was consequent to the formation of intravascular polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) aggregates and to their sequestration in the microvasculature, primarily of the lung. Infusion of prostacyclin (PGI 2; 10 ng/Kg/min to 50 ng/Kg/min) inhibited in a dose-dependent manner PAF-induced thrombocytopenia and neutropenia as well as the sequestration of PMN in the pulmonary capillary network.

The Uptake of 14C-Leucine by Neutrophils and the Inhibitory Effects of Prostacyclin and of Methyl-Prednisolone

The Uptake of 14C-Leucine by Neutrophils and the Inhibitory Effects of Prostacyclin and of Methyl-Prednisolone

Heparin Counteracts the Antiaggregating Effect of Prostacyclin by Potentiating Platelet Aggregation

It has recently been reported that heparin neutralizes the inhibitory effect of prostacyclin (PGI2) on human platelet aggregation. The mechanism of this interaction has not yet been unequivocally established. We present here evidence that heparin (Liquemin Roche) does not react directly with PGI2 but counteracts its inhibitory effect by potentiating platelet aggregation. In the absence of heparin, PGI2 was a less effective inhibitor of platelet aggregation induced by the combination of ADP and serotonin than by ADP alone. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of PGI2 was similarly reduced when increasing the concentrations of ADP (in the absence of heparin). The lack of a specific interaction between heparin and PGI2 is supported by the observation that, in the presence of heparin, other prostaglandins such as PGD2 and PGE1 and a non-prostanoid compound such as adenosine also appeared to lose their inhibitory potency. It is concluded that heparin opposes platelet aggregation inhibitory effect of PGI2 by enhancement of platelet aggregation.

Neutropenia induced by platelet-activating factor (PAF-acether) released from neutrophils: the inhibitory effect of prostacyclin (PGI2).

Soluble and phagocytic stimuli released PAF-acether from PMN leucocytes, as determined by chromatography and bioassay by platelet aggregation. The same material caused aggregation of human and rabbit PMN leucocytes in vitro which was inhibited by ETYA and PGI2. PGI2 also inhibited PAF-acether release by PMN leucocytes and, in vivo, PGI2 abolished not only PAF-acether-induced, but also immune complex or C5a-induced thrombocytopenia and neutropenia in rabbits. These data suggest that PAF-acether may be involved in activation of both platelets and PMN leucocytes in vivo.

Prostacyclin inhibits mobilisation of fibrinogen-binding sites on human ADP- and thrombin-treated platelets

Prostacyclin (prostaglandin I2, PGI2), produced by the blood vessel wall is the most potent known inhibitor of platelet aggregation induced by such stimuli as ADP and thrombin. It binds to a specific platelet receptor and activates adenylate cyclase, raising the cyclic AMP level in platelets. This property can be important because platelets participate in several significant interactions. For example, the interaction with fibrinogen or fibrin contributes to the formation of the haemostatic plug. Intact plasma fibrinogen is required for the aggregation of platelets induced by ADP, and endogenous platelet fibrinogen influences thrombin-induced aggregation. We have therefore studied the effect of prostacyclin on the interaction of fibrinogen with human platelets. We now report that prostacyclin inhibits the mobilisation of specific binding sites ('receptors') for fibrinogen on human platelets and that this effect parallels the inhibition of ADP- or thrombin-induced aggregation. The inhibitory effect of prostacyclin may limit the extent of platelet-fibrinogen interaction in vivo and in extracorporeal circulation.