The effect of a new compound, 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9-Octahydro- [1]benzothieno[2,3-d]imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidin-2-one hydrochloride (DH-6471), on cAMP metabolism and aggregation of platelets was studied. In vitro. DH-6471 inhibited platelet aggregation (both the 1st and 2nd phases) induced by ADP, collagen, thrombin, arachidonic acid and PGG2-TXA2 mixture in PRP from various animal species including human at concentrations (IC50) ranging from 0.07 to 8 μH. It inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation ex vivg in rats following oral doses as low as 0.3- 1 mg/kg.The compound was found to be a highly selective inhibitor of platelet low Km cAMP phosphodiesterase (Ki=0.025 μM), when tested with enzyme fractions separated by DEAE-cellu-lose chromatography. It did not significantly affect basal or PGE1(0.1-1 μM)-stimulated cAMP level of platelets at a concentration of 1 μM where platelet aggregation and the low Km PDE were markedly inhibited. However, both basal and PGE1-stimulated accumulations of cAMP in the platelet membrane fraction were increased by DH-6471 at 1 μM when the isolated membrane fraction was incubated with ATP-Mg2+.Studies with several PDE inhibitors including papaverine, dipyridamole and DH-6471-related compounds showed a close correlation between their ability to inhibit the low Km PDE or to increase cAMP accumulation in the membrane fraction and their inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation. On the other hand, their potency to inhibit high Km cAMP-PDE(cGMP-PDE) and to increase cAMP level in whole platelets was poorly correlated to their inhibitory activity in platelet aggregation.These results suggest that some small but local changes in platelet cAMP may be involved in the regulation of platelet aggregation, particularly primary aggregation.