Sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a potent vasodilator, has shown beneficial effects in acute myocardial infarction. Since platelets may play an important role in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction, the effect of SNP on their interaction with rabbit aorta subendothelium was investigated in vivo and under controlled blood flow conditions ex vivo and in vitro.One iliac artery and the abdominal aorta were denuded of endothelium by balloon catheter injury during infusion of glucose, SNP at 6 or 12 μg/kg/min in groups of 12, 6 and 7 rabbits respectively. The aorta and their branches were perfuse-fixed under controlled pressure 10 min after denudation. Morphometric evaluation showed dose-dependent and significant (2p < 0.01 or 0.001) inhibition of platelet spreading, adhesion and aggregation. The latter was abolished at the higher dose of SNP. Denudation and subsequent platelet adhesion caused strong vasoconstriction (2p < 0.001) which was inhibited by SNP (2p < 0.01).By exposure of subendothelium to either citrated blood or native blood in a flow chamber (2000 sec-1 shear rate) strong inhibition of spreading and adhesion-induced aggregation was again demonstrated at 6 and 12 μg/kg/min SNP. In vitro, adhesion-induced aggregation was completely abolished after the addition of SNP to rabbit (at 20 μg/ml) or human blood (2 μg/ml). 1 μg/ml PGE1 was needed to induce a similar inhibitory effect.Thus SNP is a strong inhibitor of platelet function and of injury + platelet induced vasoconstriction. These findings may explain its beneficial effect in acute myocardial infarction.
In vivo MRI and ex vivo histological assessment of the cardioprotection induced by ischemic preconditioning, postconditioning and remote conditioning in a closed-chest porcine model of reperfused acute myocardial infarction: importance of microvasculature
