Search

Acute myocardial infarction is primarily due to coronary atherosclerotic plaque rupture and subsequent thrombus formation. Platelets play a key role in the genesis and progression of both atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Since platelets are anuclear cells that inherit their mRNA from megakaryocyte precursors and maintain it unchanged during their life span, gene expression profiling at the time of an acute myocardial infarction provides information concerning the platelet gene expression preceding the coronary event. In ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), a gene-by-gene analysis of the platelet gene expression identified five differentially expressed genes: FKBP5, S100P, SAMSN1, CLEC4E and S100A12. The logistic regression model used to combine the gene expression in a STEMI vs healthy donors score showed an AUC of 0.95. The same five differentially expressed genes were externally validated using platelet gene expression data from patients with coronary atherosclerosis but without thrombosis. Platelet gene expression profile highlights five genes able to identify STEMI patients and to discriminate them in the background of atherosclerosis. Consequently, early signals of an imminent acute myocardial infarction are likely to be found by platelet gene expression profiling before the infarction occurs.

Interactions of human platelets with cadmium in vitro were studied with respect to the platelet activation process as indicated by malondialdehyde (MDA) formation and also to the components of the cellular antioxidant defence system such as catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), and reduced glutathione (GSH). Cadmium treatment stimulated platelet MDA formation after a lag phase of at least 15 min and this effect was completely blocked by either 1 mM aspirin or 1 mM CaCl2. Cadmium pretreated platelets also displayed a much higher (5 fold) MDA formation when stimulated by thrombin. Platelet catalase activity was decreased by almost 50% after incubation with cadmium. There was also a moderate decline in platelet GSH and GR activity along with a stimulation of GST and G6PDH activity. These results suggest: (1) the cadmium effect on platelets as observed by enhanced formation of MDA via the cyclooxygenase pathway involves intraplatelet accumulation of cadmium which is inhibited by calcium, (2) a modest decline in GSH, presumably due to the inadequacy of H2O2 detoxification mechanism, does not adversely affect platelet function because of the adaptive response of G6PDH, and (3) intracellular accumulation of cadmium may result in platelet hyperactivity through higher intraplatelet free calcium levels resulting directly through cadmium action or indirectly through higher H2O2 levels due to catalase inhibition.

Effects of cadmium treatment on human platelets were studied with respect to uptake and release of 5-[3H]hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). The uptake of 5-[3H]HT in the presence of varying concentrations of CdCl2 (0.001-10 mM) was inhibited significantly with respect to control platelets and the inhibition was maximum at 1 mM CdCl2 concentration. From studies on the kinetics of 5-[3H]HT uptake a higher Km and significantly lower Vmax for CdCl2-treated platelets were observed. CdCl2 stimulated spontaneous release but inhibited thrombin-induced release of 5-[3H]HT. Spontaneous release of 5-[3H]HT induced by CdCl2 was not significantly altered in the presence of externally available CaCl2 (1 mM).