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M A Packham

Publications and source records attributed to M A Packham.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Incorporation of lipids labeled with various fatty acids into the cytoskeleton of aggregating platelets.

Earlier studies showed that during the first 20 to 25 seconds of aggregation induced by thrombin (0.1 U/mL) or adenosine diphosphate (ADP) (2 microM) of rabbit or human platelets prelabeled with [3H]palmitic acid, labeled lipid became associated with the cytoskeleton (isolated after lysis with 1% Triton X-100, 5 mM EGTA [ethylene glycolbis-(beta-aminoethyl ether(N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid] in the presence of 0.5 mM leupeptin and 50 mM benzamidine). In comparison with labeled lipid in intact platelets, the labeled lipid that was associated with the cytoskeleton was enriched in phospholipids and ceramide. To determine whether these effects were specific for lipids labeled with palmitic acid, we studied rabbit platelets in which lipids had been labeled by incubation of the platelets with pairs of 14C- or 3H-labeled palmitic, stearic, arachidonic, and linoleic acids. Examination of the distribution of label among the lipid classes of intact platelets showed that phospholipids contained most of the label. Under the conditions of limited, thrombin-induced aggregation used, labeled lipids were not lost from the platelets and the distribution of label among the lipid classes was essentially unchanged. There were major differences in the incorporation of labeled lipids into the cytoskeleton. The greatest incorporation (2.1 to 2.8% of the label in the platelets) was observed with palmitic acid-labeled lipids; by direct comparison, only 44% as much of the label of stearic acid-labeled lipids, 21% as much of the label of linoleic acid-labeled lipids, and only 6% as much of the label of arachidonic acid-labeled lipids was incorporated into the cytoskeleton.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Platelet hypersensitivity in cholesterol-fed rabbits: enhancement of thromboxane A2-dependent and thrombin-induced, thromboxane A2-independent platelet responses.

Hypercholesterolemia (mean plasma cholesterol: 15 mM) was induced in rabbits by the feeding of a chow diet enriched with a low amount (0.25%, w/w) of cholesterol only. Platelet size and protein content decreased significantly, but the whole blood platelet count did not change. The platelets became enriched in cholesterol, as indicated by a significant increase in the cholesterol:phospholipid molar (C/P) ratio. Specific responses of washed platelets stimulated with various agonists were studied to determine the effects of hypercholesterolemia on the various pathways of platelet aggregation in the absence of plasma components. In platelets from hypercholesterolemic rabbits compared with controls: aggregation induced by ADP was not altered; collagen-induced responses (aggregation, secretion of [14C]serotonin from prelabelled platelets, thromboxane A2 (TXA2) formation, mobilization of [3H]arachidonate from prelabelled platelets) were enhanced; with aspirin-treated platelets, aggregation induced by the TXA2 mimetic U46619 was enhanced: and thrombin-induced responses of both untreated platelets (aggregation, secretion of granule contents, TXA2 formation) and aspirin-treated platelets (aggregation) were enhanced. Thus, platelets from cholesterol-fed rabbits not only form more TXA2, but they aggregate more extensively when stimulated by its mimetic. In addition, it has not been previously recognized that these platelets are also hypersensitive to thrombin-induced aggregation that is independent of TXA2.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Effect of calcium concentration and inhibitors on the responses of platelets stimulated with collagen: contrast between human and rabbit platelets.

1. Variations in the concentration of Ca2+ [Ca2+] in the suspending medium have different effects on the responses of human and rabbit platelets to collagen. 2. When rabbit platelets are stimulated with a low concentration of collagen (0.5 micrograms/ml), aggregation, release of granule contents, and formation of thromboxane are maximal when the suspending medium contains [Ca2+] in the physiological range (0.5-2.0 mM), and very slight in a medium with no added Ca2+. 3. In contrast, human platelets respond most strongly when the suspending medium contains no added Ca2+ [( Ca2+] approx. 20 microM); this is attributable to the enhanced formation of thromboxane A2 (TXA2) upon close platelet-to-platelet contact in this medium. 4. When TXA2 formation is blocked by inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase with aspirin or indomethacin, rabbit platelet aggregation and release in response to 1.25-10 micrograms/ml collagen is also maximal at [Ca2+] of 0.5-2.0 mM and least at 20 microM; human platelets do not aggregate and the extent of release is relatively independent of [Ca2+]. 5. In 1 mM [Ca2+], use of apyrase and/or ketanserin with rabbit platelets in which TXA2 formation is blocked shows that released ADP and serotonin make large contributions to aggregation and release in response to high concentrations of collagen; human platelet aggregation is largely dependent on TXA2. 6. Use of fura-2-loaded platelets shows that the collagen-induced rise in cytosolic [Ca2+] is only slightly inhibited by aspirin or indomethacin in rabbit platelets, but almost completely inhibited in human platelets. 7. Responses of rabbit platelets to collagen are less dependent on TXA2 than those of human platelets. Released ADP and serotonin make major contributions to the responses of rabbit platelets to collagen.

Animals↗

Inositol phospholipid metabolism in human platelets stimulated by ADP.

ADP-induced changes in inositol phospholipids, phosphatidic acid and inositol phosphates of human platelets have been studied in detail, using not only 32P labelling, but also by examining changes in amounts of the phospholipids, their labelling with [3H]glycerol and their specific radioactivities; changes in the labelling of inositol phosphates in platelets prelabelled with [3H]inositol were also measured. During the early (10 s) stage of reversible ADP-induced primary aggregation in a medium containing fibrinogen and with a concentration of Ca2+ in the physiological range (2 mM), the amounts of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdInsP2) and phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdInsP) decreased (by 11.2 +/- 4.9% and 11.3 +/- 5.3%, respectively) while the labelling, but not the amount, of phosphatidic acid increased. The decreases do not appear to be attributable to the action of phospholipase C because the specific radioactivity of phosphatidic acid labelling with [3H]glycerol was not significantly increased at 10 s (although the initial specific radioactivities of the inositol phospholipids and PtdCho were more than double that of phosphatidic acid), and no increases in the labelling of inositol trisphosphate (InsP3), inositol bisphosphate (InsP2) or inositol phosphate (InsP) were detectable at 10 s. Shifts in the interconversions between PtdInsP2 and PtdInsP, and PtdInsP and PtdIns may occur. By 30 to 60 s, when deaggregation was beginning, the amounts of PtdInsP2, PtdInsP and phosphatidic acid were not different from those in unstimulated platelets, but large increases in the 32P-labelling and [3H]glycerol labelling of phosphatidic acid were observed. Formation of [3H]inositol-labelled InsP3 was not detectable at any time in association with ADP-induced primary aggregation, indicating that degradation of PtdInsP2 by phospholipase C is not appreciably stimulated by ADP. These findings were compared with those obtained when platelets were aggregated by ADP in a medium without added of Ca2+ in which secondary aggregation associated with thromboxane A2 (TXA2) formation and release of granule contents occurs. At 10 s (during primary aggregation) the changes were similar in the two media. At 30 s and 60 s (during secondary aggregation in the low-Ca2+ medium), the increases in PtdInsP2, PtdInsP and phosphatidic acid in platelets suspended in the absence of added Ca2+ were larger than those in platelets suspended in the presence of 2 mM Ca2+. In the absence of added Ca2+, ADP-induced increases in the labelling of InsP3, InsP2 and InsP which were probably due to the effects of TXA2 since they were abolished by aspirin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Effects of alcohol withdrawal on responses of platelets from alcoholics--a study using platelet-rich plasma from blood anticoagulated with D-phenylalanyl-L-prolyl-L-arginyl chloromethyl ketone (FPRCH2Cl).

Platelet responses stimulated by a range of concentrations of ADP or collagen were studied in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from alcoholics 24-36 h and 6 days after cessation of drinking, and in PRP from age- and sex-matched controls. The studies were done using plasma from blood anticoagulated with the specific thrombin inhibitor D-phenylalanyl-L-prolyl-L-arginyl chloromethyl ketone (FPRCH2Cl, PPACK); the use of this compound permits the study of platelet responses in plasma at physiological concentrations of ionized calcium. Responses of platelets to ADP (primary aggregation) and collagen (aggregation, secretion of [14C]serotonin from prelabelled platelets, and thromboxane formation) were lower in alcoholics 24-36 h after withdrawal of alcohol compared with controls. This inhibition of platelet function was not due to the presence of alcohol in the blood of the alcoholics. Aggregation in response to ADP did not change during the withdrawal period studied, while collagen-induced aggregation and secretion increased significantly and collagen-induced thromboxane formation tended to increase towards control values. The reduced platelet responses observed in alcoholics and the different rates of "recovery" of different pathways of aggregation towards control values must be due to alterations either in the platelets themselves and/or in the plasma brought about by the chronic presence of ethanol, and its withdrawal.

Adult↗

Agglutination of rabbit platelets in plasma by the thrombin inhibitor D-phenylalanyl-L-prolyl-L-arginyl chloromethyl ketone.

The specific thrombin inhibitor D-phenylalanyl-L-prolyl-L-arginyl chloromethyl ketone (FPRCH2Cl, PPACK) has been used as an anticoagulant with human blood to permit the preparation of platelet-rich plasma in which the physiological concentration of Ca2+ is maintained. When we attempted to use FPRCH2Cl (40 microM) as an anticoagulant for rabbit blood, clotting was prevented for at least 6 h at room temperature, but nearly all the platelets agglutinated. Thromboxane B2 was not formed and indomethacin and prostaglandin E1 were not inhibitory. The presence of citrate delayed this agglutination, but only EDTA (not EGTA) prevented it, indicating a dependence on Mg2+. Addition of FPRCH2Cl to suspensions of rabbit platelets in Tyrode-albumin solution had no effect on responses to ADP or collagen, but completely blocked all responses to human or rabbit thrombin. Thus plasma is required for the agglutination. Intravenous injection of FPRCH2Cl (5 mg/3 kg rabbit) reduced the platelet count to less than 50% by 15 to 25 min. Thus FPRCH2Cl cannot be used as an anticoagulant for rabbit blood when platelets are to be examined, and has a profound effect on the platelet count in vivo in rabbits. These effects should be considered when FPRCH2Cl is used as an antithrombotic agent for in vivo experiments with rabbits.

Agglutination↗

Released adenosine diphosphate stabilizes thrombin-induced human platelet aggregates.

Normal human platelets aggregated by thrombin undergo the release reaction and are not readily deaggregated by the combination of inhibitors hirudin, chymotrypsin, and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). In contrast, thrombin-induced aggregates of platelets from patients with delta-storage pool deficiency (delta-SPD), which lack releasable nucleotides, are readily deaggregated by the same combination of inhibitors. The ease with which delta-SPD platelets are deaggregated is caused by the lack of stabilizing effects of released ADP, since: (1) exogenous adenosine diphosphate (ADP) (10 mumol/L), but not serotonin (2 mumol/L), abolishes the ability of these inhibitors to deaggregate delta-SPD platelets; (2) thrombin-induced aggregates of platelets from a patient (V.R.) (whose platelets have a severe, selective impairment of sensitivity to ADP, but normal amounts of releasable nucleotides) can be readily deaggregated, and addition of ADP does not stabilize the platelet aggregates; (3) apyrase or creatine phosphate (CP)/creatine phosphokinase (CPK), added before thrombin, make control platelets more easily deaggregated by hirudin, chymotrypsin, and PGE1, and do not change the deaggregation response of delta-SPD platelets and of V.R.'s platelets. Thrombin-induced aggregation and release of beta-thromboglobulin in control, delta-SPD, and in V.R.'s platelets was similar and not inhibited by apyrase or CP/CPK. The stabilizing effect of ADP on platelet aggregates is specific, since epinephrine in the presence of apyrase to remove traces of released ADP does not stabilize the aggregates of control, delta-SPD, or of V.R.'s platelets. Because epinephrine increases fibrinogen binding to thrombin-stimulated platelets to a greater extent than ADP, but does not stabilize the aggregates, it is unlikely that the additional fibrinogen binding sites induced by ADP have a major role in inhibiting deaggregation by the combination of inhibitors.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Palmitic acid-labeled lipids selectively incorporated into platelet cytoskeleton during aggregation.

Previous experiments showed that during the early stages (20-30 seconds) of aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP, 2 microM) or thrombin (0.1 U/mL) of rabbit or human platelets prelabeled with [3H]palmitic acid, labeled lipid became associated with the cytoskeleton isolated after lysis with 1% Triton X-100, 5 mM EGTA [ethylene glycol-bis-(beta-aminoethyl ether)]-N,N,N',N'-tetra-acetic acid. The association appeared to be related to the number of sites of contact and was independent of the release of granule contents. We have now investigated the nature of the labeled lipids by thin-layer and column chromatography and found differences between the distribution of the label in intact platelets (both stimulated and unstimulated) and the isolated cytoskeletons. In both species, and with either ADP or thrombin as aggregating agent, 70-85% of the label in both intact platelets and in the cytoskeletons was in phospholipids. The distribution of label among the phospholipids in the cytoskeletons was similar to that in intact platelets except that the percentage of label in phosphatidylcholine was significantly higher in the cytoskeletons of human platelets than in the intact platelets, and the percentage of label in phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylinositol was significantly lower in the cytoskeletons of rabbit platelets and thrombin-aggregated human platelets than in intact platelets. The cytoskeletons contained a lower percentage of label in triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, and cholesterol ester than the intact platelets. Contrary to a report in the literature, we found no evidence for the incorporation of diacylglycerol and palmitic acid into the cytoskeleton.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Localization of fibrinogen during ADP- or thrombin-induced aggregation of washed rabbit platelets.

In contrast to human platelets, which aggregate poorly in response to ADP unless fibrinogen is present in the external medium, washed rabbit platelets form large aggregates in response to ADP without fibrinogen in the suspending medium. Addition of fibrinogen to the suspending medium of rabbit platelets frequently has little or no effect on the extent of ADP-induced platelet aggregation. We examined washed rabbit platelets by immunocytochemistry during ADP-induced aggregation and deaggregation and during thrombin-induced aggregation when the external medium did not contain added fibrinogen to determine if (a) fibrinogen was expressed on the surface of rabbit platelets that could support aggregation when the platelets were stimulated, or (b) fibrinogen secreted from the alpha granules supports platelet aggregation. Glutaraldehyde-fixed samples were prepared at different times after addition of ADP or thrombin, embedded in Lowicryl K4M, sectioned, incubated with sheep anti-rabbit fibrinogen, washed, reacted with gold-labeled anti-sheep IgG, and prepared for electron microscopy. The alpha granules of rabbit platelets were heavily labeled with immunogold; the platelet membrane was not labeled. During platelet aggregation and deaggregation in response to ADP, fibrinogen was not detectable on the platelet surface. In response to thrombin, large aggregates formed before fibrinogen was secreted from the alpha granules; fibrinogen was detectable focally at sites of granule discharge by 30-60 sec and fibrin formed by 3 min. Therefore, stimulated washed rabbit platelets can adhere to each other without large amounts of fibrinogen taking part in the close platelet-to-platelet contact, since aggregation occurs before detectable secretion, and large areas where the platelets are in contact are devoid of fibrinogen between the adherent membranes. Adhesion mechanisms not involving fibrinogen may support the aggregation of washed rabbit platelets.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Reduced membrane fluidity in platelets from diabetic patients.

Platelets from diabetic patients are hypersensitive to agonists in vitro. Membrane fluidity modulates cell function, and reduced membrane fluidity in cholesterol-enriched platelets is associated with platelet hypersensitivity to agonists, including thrombin. Decreased membrane fluidity of these platelets is attributed to an increased cholesterol-phospholipid molar ratio in platelet membranes. We examined the response of platelets from diabetic subjects to thrombin, platelet membrane fluidity, and platelet cholesterol-phospholipid molar ratio. Twelve poorly controlled diabetic subjects were compared with 12 age- and sex-matched control subjects. In response to a low concentration of thrombin, mean values for release of [14C]serotonin from washed prelabeled platelets were not significantly different between diabetic and control subjects, but in 8 of 12 diabetic subjects, the release response was greater than in their paired control subjects. Mean steady-state fluorescence polarization values in 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene-labeled platelets prepared from diabetic subjects were significantly greater than in control subjects; this indicates a decreased membrane fluidity in platelets from diabetic subjects. Total or very-low-density (VLDL), low-density (LDL), or high-density (HDL2, HDL3) lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in plasma were not significantly different between groups; however, the ratio of VLDL + LDL to HDL2 + HDL3 was significantly greater in diabetic than in control subjects. There was no difference in the total platelet cholesterol-phospholipid molar ratio between groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Acute administration of ethanol to rabbits inhibits thrombus formation induced by indwelling aortic catheters.

Platelet aggregation and secretion of granule contents in response to specific agonists are inhibited by acute ethanol (1 to 4 mg/ml in vitro or 4 to 5 mg/ml ex vivo). However, acute administration of ethanol, giving blood levels of 4 to 5 mg/ml, does not affect platelet adherence to de-endothelialized rabbit aortae in vivo, which is the initial step in thrombus formation. Whether ethanol inhibits subsequent reactions in thrombus formation induced by indwelling catheters in rabbit aortae was investigated. Before insertion of the catheters, the rabbits received injections of 51Cr-labeled platelets (and, in some experiments, [125I]fibrinogen), and were given ethanol by stomach tube, to achieve blood levels of approximately 4 mg/ml. Thrombus formation after 3 hours was assessed by determining the number of platelets and the amount of radiolabeled fibrin(ogen) associated with the aortae, and by determining the thrombus weights; all three measurements indicated a 64 to 84% reduction in thrombosis. Thus, experimentally induced thrombus formation in the aorta is significantly reduced by ethanol.

Animals↗

Thrombin-induced inositol phosphate production by platelets from rats with diet-induced or genetically determined hypercholesterolemia.

Platelets from rats with diet-induced or genetically determined hypercholesterolemia are hypersensitive to thrombin through a pathway that is independent of the effects of released ADP or formation of thromboxane A2. We examined production of inositol phosphates by platelets from these hypercholesterolemic rats to determine whether the enhanced responsiveness to thrombin is associated with increased production of inositol trisphosphate (IP3). The opportunity to study rats with hypercholesterolemia determined genetically or induced by diet makes it possible to determine whether any differences in inositol phosphate production are caused by hypercholesterolemia alone rather than to any other effect of the diet used to induce hypercholesterolemia. Platelets were prelabeled with [3H]inositol so that increases in inositol phosphates (IP, IP2, and IP3) upon stimulation with thrombin could be assessed by measuring the amount of label in these compounds. Platelets were preincubated with CP/CPK, to inhibit effects of released ADP, and aspirin, to inhibit formation of thromboxane A2/endoperoxides. In platelets from rats with either form of hypercholesterolemia, the percentage increase in labeling of IP3 was significantly greater 30 seconds after stimulation with low concentrations of thrombin than in platelets from control rats. Increased IP3 formation in platelets from hypercholesterolemic rats indicates that there is increased activity of a pathway(s) leading to IP3 formation and that this may be a mechanism responsible for the thrombin-induced hypersensitivity of these platelets.

Animals↗

Platelets, blood flow, and the vessel wall.

Vessel wall injury and lipid deposition in the walls of arteries can contribute to the development of atherosclerotic lesions. The mitogen (platelet-derived growth factor) for smooth muscle cells that is released from platelets that adhere to the sites of injury contributes to vessel wall thickening, as does the organization of mural thrombi. Although many arterial thrombi result from fissure or rupture of the fibrous cap of lipid-rich atherosclerotic plaques, thrombi that result from shear-induced platelet aggregation and disturbed blood flow at stenotic lesions also contribute to the thromboembolic clinical complications of atherosclerosis. Prevention of thrombus initiation requires a better understanding of platelet interaction with injured vessel walls and of the ways in which this process may be inhibited. A crucial factor in the management of thrombus formation in severely injured vessels is restoration of a normal pattern of blood flow. Theoretically, it may be possible to use angioplasty (to remove atherosclerotic lesions and to dilate stenosed vessels) and to use new therapeutic interventions (to prevent the accumulation of an initial layer of platelets on the acutely injured surface) to reduce the probability of restenosis and thrombosis at these sites.

Animals↗

Eicosapentaenoic acid interferes with U46619-stimulated formation of inositol phosphates in washed rabbit platelets.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) inhibits platelet responsiveness to aggregating agents. To investigate the reactions that are affected by EPA, we examined the effect of preincubating aspirin-treated rabbit platelets with EPA on stimulation of inositol phosphate formation in response to the TXA2 analogue U46619. Stimulation of platelets with U46619 (0.5 microM) caused aggregation and slight release of dense granule contents; aggregation and release were inhibited by preincubation of the platelets with EPA (50 microM) for 1 h followed by washing to remove unincorporated EPA. Incubation with EPA (50 microM) for 1 h did not cause a detectable increase in the amount of EPA in the platelet phospholipids. When platelets were prelabelled with [3H]inositol, stimulation with U46619 of control platelets that had not been incubated with EPA significantly increased the labelling of inositol phosphates. The increases in inositol phosphate labelling due to U46619 at 10 and 60 s were partially inhibited by preincubation of the platelets with 50 microM EPA. Since the activity of cyclo-oxygenase was blocked with aspirin, inhibition of inositol phosphate labelling in response to U46619 indicates either that there may be inhibition of signal transduction without a detectable change in the amount of EPA in platelet phospholipids, that changes in signal transduction require only minute changes in the fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids, or that after a 1 h incubation with EPA, activation of phospholipase C is affected by a mechanism that is not directly related to incorporation of EPA.

Animals↗

Effect of the concentration of Ca2+ in the suspending medium on the responses of human and rabbit platelets to aggregating agents.

The effect of the concentration of Ca2+ in the suspending medium of human and rabbit platelets on aggregation, release of 14C-serotonin, and TXB2 formation in response to ADP, thrombin, 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine (PAF), collagen and arachidonic acid was studied in either platelet-rich plasma anticoagulated with D-phenylalanyl-prolyl-arginyl chloromethylketone (PPACK) or citrate, or suspensions of washed platelets in modified Tyrode-albumin solutions containing 1 mM Mg2+ and concentrations of added Ca2+ ranging from 0 to 5 mM. In response to ADP, thrombin, or PAF, human platelets were stimulated to form TXA2 by close platelet contact in a low-Ca2+ medium; at physiological concentrations of Ca2+, TXB2 formation was much less and declined progressively as the concentration of Ca2+ was raised. When the formation of TXA2 was blocked with aspirin or indomethacin, aggregation and release by human platelets were strongest at physiological concentrations of Ca2+. Rabbit platelet responses differed markedly from those of human platelets because close contact of rabbit platelets in a low-Ca2+ medium did not promote TXA2 formation. Rabbit platelet responses were more strongly inhibited by the lack of added Ca2+ in the medium than the responses of human platelets, possibly because rabbit platelets do not contain releasable Ca2+. In all studies of human platelets in media with low concentrations of Ca2+, the additional contribution to platelet responses of TXA2 formed because of close platelet contact should be considered because TXA2 formation is not usually stimulated in this way at physiological concentrations of Ca2+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Platelet responses to platelet-activating factor are inhibited in alcoholics undergoing alcohol withdrawal.

Platelet aggregation, secretion of serotonin, and formation of thromboxane B2 induced by platelet-activating factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine) were studied in plasma containing physiological concentrations of ionized calcium in eight alcoholics after cessation of heavy drinking. Responses of platelets of four nonalcoholic volunteers, matched with a subgroup of the alcoholics by age and sex, were also investigated. Aggregation of platelets from alcoholics was significantly less throughout the 6-day detoxification period compared with controls. Secretion of serotonin (5-hydroxy-tryptamine) was negligible and the production of thromboxane B2 was not detectable. Decreased platelet aggregability in response to aggregating agents, including platelet-activating factor, may be important in the development of hemorrhagic complications in alcoholics.

Adult↗

In vitro effects of ethanol on rabbit platelet aggregation, secretion of granule contents, and cyclic AMP levels in the presence of prostacyclin.

Ethanol, at physiologically tolerable concentrations, inhibits platelet responses to low concentrations of collagen or thrombin, but does not inhibit responses of washed rabbit platelets stimulated with high concentrations of ADP, collagen, or thrombin. However, when platelet responses to high concentrations of collagen or thrombin had been partially inhibited by prostacyclin (PGI2), ethanol had additional inhibitory effects on aggregation and secretion. These effects were also observed with aspirin-treated platelets stimulated with thrombin. Ethanol had no further inhibitory effect on aggregation of platelets stimulated with ADP, or the combination of ADP and epinephrine. Thus, the inhibitory effects of ethanol on platelet responses in the presence of PGI2 were very similar to its inhibitory effects in the absence of PGI2, when platelets were stimulated with lower concentrations of collagen or thrombin. Ethanol did not appear to exert its inhibitory effects by increasing cyclic AMP above basal levels and the additional inhibitory effects of ethanol in the presence of PGI2 did not appear to be brought about by further increases in platelet cyclic AMP levels.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗