The purpose of this study was to investigate platelet effects on postischemic heart function in conjunction with adenosine effects on intracoronary platelet adhesion. Homologous platelets were infused into the coronaries of isolated guinea pig hearts, either during low-flow ischemia or during reperfusion, and external heart work (EHW) and intracoronary platelet adhesion were determined. In most experiments, thrombin was added to the perfusate. The influence of endogenous adenosine was studied by use of the uptake blocker dipyridamole and the unspecific adenosine-receptor blocker theophylline, the A1-receptor blocker 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX), and the A2-receptor blocker 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine (DMPX). The importance of nitric oxide and prostaglandin I2 (PGI2) was tested by using nitro-L-arginine (NOLAG) and indomethacin, respectively. When platelets were applied with thrombin during low-flow ischemia, EHW recovered to only 63 +/- 4% of the preischemic value, as compared with 89 +/- 3% without platelets (p < 0.05). Despite thrombin, platelets incurred no significant functional loss when applied in the first minute of reperfusion (but again in the fifth minute); however, when theophylline was also present, recovery of EHW amounted to only 42 +/- 12%. Intracoronary adhesion of platelets was negligible without thrombin, and highest during low-flow ischemia with thrombin (35 +/- 3% of the applied number). No adhesion occurred during the first minute of reperfusion, whereas in the fifth minute, adhesion was again 20.8 +/- 4%. Dipyridamole increased adenosine release and attenuated adhesion at this time. Theophylline increased adhesion in the first minute of reperfusion (33 +/- 6.4%), whereas NOLAG and indomethacin proved to be ineffective. DPCPX and DMPX each increased platelet retention during the first minute of reperfusion, their effects being additive. Intracoronary adhesion of platelets induced by thrombin in isolated hearts can reduce postischemic recovery of heart function. During reperfusion, but not during low-flow, endogenous adenosine can prevent platelet adhesion and loss of myocardial function, an action mediated both by A1- and A2-receptor-dependent mechanisms.

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Effects of microspheres (5 microns or 10 microns diameter) and polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) on coronary resistance were compared in beating, non-working isolated guinea-pig hearts (Langendorff preparation). The hearts were buffer perfused (5 ml/min, constant flow) and particles or cells were infused into the coronary system as a bolus (1 ml, 1 min). Coronary perfusion pressure, coronary flow and formation of epicardial transudate were measured before and after bolus administration. Coronary resistance was estimated from these parameters. Retention of particles or cells was monitored by quantifying the numbers emerging in the coronary effluent in relation to the number administered. The effects of PMN were also studied after 15 min of global ischemia. Coronary resistance correlated with the number of 10-micron particles infused, which were almost quantitatively retained. In contrast, 5-micron beads had no such effect and were not retained in the coronary system. Though considerable numbers of PMN were retained in the hearts (about 21% under control conditions and 35% after ischaemia), coronary resistance was not increased in either case. Blockage of the CD18 adhesion complex by monoclonal antibodies lowered basal retention to 11% and completely prevented the elevation of retention by ischaemia. We conclude that, in this experimental model, PMN, permanently retained in the hearts under normal flow conditions and especially after brief ischaemia, do not cause acute, haemodynamically relevant capillary plugging, but adhere to postcapillary venules via CD18.

In recent experimental studies, blood platelets have been found to exhibit some cardiodepressive effects in ischemic and reperfused guinea pig hearts independent of thrombus formation. These effects seemed to be mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the source of these ROS - platelets or heart - remained still unknown. Isolated, buffer-perfused and pressure-volume work performing guinea pig hearts were exposed to a low-flow ischemia (1 ml/min) of 30 min duration and reperfused at a constant flow of 5 ml/min. Human thrombocytes were administered as 1 min bolus (20 000 thrombocytes/µl perfusion buffer) in the 15th min of ischemia or in the 1st or 5th min of reperfusion in the presence of thrombin (0.3 U/ml perfusion buffer). Recovery of external heart work (REHW) was expressed as ratio between postischemic and preischemic EHW in percent. Intracoronary platelet retention (RET) was quantified as percent of platelets applied. In a second set of experiments, thrombocytes were incubated with 10 µM of the irreversible NADPH oxidase blocker diphenyliodonium chloride and washed twice, thereafter, and administered according to the same protocol as described above. Hearts exposed to ischemia and reperfusion in the presence of thrombin but without application of platelets served as controls. Controls without application of platelets did not reveal a severe compromisation of myocardial function (REHW 85.5 ± 1%). However, addition of platelets during ischemia or in the 1st or 5th min of reperfusion led to a significant reduction of REHW as compared with controls (REHW 62.4 ± 6, 53.9 ± 3, 40.5 ± 3, respectively). Application of platelets pretreated with diphenyliodonium chloride did not reveal any cardiodepressive effects being significantly different from controls without platelet application. Moreover, treatment of platelets with diphenyliodonium chloride did not significantly decrease intracoronary platelet retention. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that cardiodepressive effects of human thrombocytes in ischemic and reperfused guinea pig hearts are mediated by ROS released from thrombocytes and not the heart.