EFFECTS OF NITRIC-OXIDE DONORS IN-VITRO ON THE ARACHIDONIC ACID-INDUCED PLATELET-RELEASE REACTION AND PLATELET CYCLIC-GMP CONCENTRATION IN PREECLAMPSIA
E. Hardy et al., EFFECTS OF NITRIC-OXIDE DONORS IN-VITRO ON THE ARACHIDONIC ACID-INDUCED PLATELET-RELEASE REACTION AND PLATELET CYCLIC-GMP CONCENTRATION IN PREECLAMPSIA, Clinical science, 86(2), 1994, pp. 195-202
1. Platelet activation in vivo occurs in healthy pregnancy and is more
pronounced in pre-eclampsia. 2. This study has investigated: (i) the
inhibitory potency of the nitric oxide donors 3-morpholino-sydnonimine
and sodium nitroprusside, on the platelet release reaction in vitro i
n non-pregnant, healthy pregnant and pre-ectamptic women; (ii) the con
centration of cyclic GMP during incubation of washed platelets with so
dium nitroprusside in a separate group of non-pregnant, healthy pregna
nt and preeclamptic women. 3. The half-maximal inhibitory concentratio
n of sodium nitroprusside, in the presence of a phosphodiesterase inhi
bitor, for inhibition of the platelet release reaction was lower in th
e pre-eclamptic subjects than in the non-pregnant subjects (P<0.05). 4
. Several of the pre-eclamptic women were studied again postnatally. T
he half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of sodium nitroprusside and
3-morpholinosydnonimine were higher in the postnatal than in the anten
atal sample (P<0.02). 5. Peak platelet cyclic GMP responses to sodium
nitroprusside were significantly higher in the preeclamptic women than
in the healthy pregnant and non-pregnant women. 6. These results sugg
est that platelets are more sensitive to the inhibitory effects of nit
ric oxide donors in pre-eclampsia.