Impaired coronary tissue plasminogen activator release is associated with coronary atherosclerosis and cigarette smoking - Direct link between endothelial dysfunction and atherothrombosis
De. Newby et al., Impaired coronary tissue plasminogen activator release is associated with coronary atherosclerosis and cigarette smoking - Direct link between endothelial dysfunction and atherothrombosis, CIRCULATION, 103(15), 2001, pp. 1936-1941
Citations number
23
Categorie Soggetti
Cardiovascular & Respiratory Systems","Cardiovascular & Hematology Research
Background-The aim of the study was to establish the influence of proximal
coronary artery atheroma and smoking habit on the stimulated release of tis
sue plasminogen activator (tPA) from the heart.
Methods and Results-After diagnostic coronary angiography in 25 patients, t
he left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was instrumented, and the
proximal LAD plaque volume was determined by use of intravascular ultrasou
nd (IVUS). Blood flow and fibrinolytic responses to selective LAD infusion
of saline, substance P (10 to 40 pmol/min; endothelium-dependent), and sodi
um nitroprusside (5 to 20 mug/min; endothelium-independent) were measured b
y intracoronary IVUS and Doppler, combined with arterial and coronary sinus
blood sampling. Mean plaque burden was 5.5 +/-0.8 mm(3)/mm vessel (range 0
.6 to 13.7 mm(3)/mm vessel). LAD blood flow increased with both substance P
and sodium nitroprusside (P<0.001), although coronary sinus plasma tPA ant
igen and activity concentrations increased only during substance P infusion
(P<0.006 for both). There was a strong inverse correlation between the LAD
plaque burden and release of active tPA (r= -0.61, P=0.003). Cigarette smo
king was associated with impaired coronary release of active tPA (current s
mokers, 31 +/- 23 IU/min; ex-smokers, 50 +/- 33 IU/min; nonsmokers 202 +/-
73 IU/min; P<0.05).
Conclusions-We found that both the coronary atheromatous plaque burden and
smoking habit are associated with a reduced acute local fibrinolytic capaci
ty of the heart. These important findings provide evidence of a direct link
between endogenous fibrinolysis, endothelial dysfunction, and atherothromb
osis in the coronary circulation and may explain the greater efficacy of th
rombolytic therapy for myocardial infarction in cigarette smokers.