title: Urinary excretion of thromboxane and prostacyclin metabolites during chronic low-dose aspirin: evidence for an extrarenal origin of urinary thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha in healthy subjects.
abstract: In vivo biosynthesis of thromboxane and prostacyclin is currently evaluated by measuring urinary excretion of selected metabolites. Urinary thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) (non-enzymatic hydrolysis products of thromboxane and prostacyclin) are thought to derive from renal biosynthesis of the parent compounds, while enzymatic metabolites such as 2,3-dinor-TXB2 and 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1 alpha appear to be mainly derived from systemic (platelet) thromboxane and (vascular) prostacyclin, respectively. Using immunoaffinity extraction and high-resolution gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry (HRGC-NICIMS), we measured the paired excretion of non-enzymatic and enzymatic metabolites of thromboxane and prostacyclin in healthy subjects before, during and after an eight-day schedule of oral low-dose aspirin (30 mg/day), a treatment known to inhibit platelet and perhaps vascular but not renal cyclooxygenase. Low-dose aspirin cumulatively reduced urinary excretion of TXB2 and 2,3-dinor-TXB2 (about 80% inhibition on day 8 of aspirin treatment, P less than 0.01), as well as 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1 alpha (about 45% inhibition on day 8 of aspirin treatment, P less than 0.01). Excretion of all metabolites recovered slowly after aspirin withdrawal. Urinary PGE2, taken as an index of renal cyclooxygenase activity, was not inhibited by aspirin. A highly significant correlation was found between paired excretion values of non-enzymatic vs. enzymatic metabolites of thromboxane and prostacyclin in all individuals studied (TXB2 vs. 2,3-dinor-TXB2 (r = 0.91 +/- 0.03); 6-keto-PGF1 alpha vs. 2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1 alpha (r = 0.92 +/- 0.06], irrespective of aspirin treatment. TXB2/2,3-dinor-TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha/2,3-dinor-6-keto-PGF1 alpha mean ratios remained unchanged throughout the experiment. These data do not support the view that urinary TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha derive mainly from renal biosynthesis in healthy subjects, but rather suggest that they may represent a fraction of systemic (platelet) thromboxane and (vascular) prostacyclin escaping metabolism. These data also suggest that chronic low-dose aspirin may partly inhibit vascular prostacyclin in addition to platelet thromboxane biosynthesis.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chiabrando
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rivoltella
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martelli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Valzacchi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fanelli
mesh_terms: D015121:6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha / Q000652:urine*; D000328:Adult; D001241:Aspirin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013929:Thromboxane B2 / Q000652:urine*; D013931:Thromboxanes / Q000378:metabolism; D014556:Urine / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D013931:Thromboxanes; D013929:Thromboxane B2; D015121:6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha; D011464:Epoprostenol; D001241:Aspirin