title: Effect of cholesterol on production of thromboxane b2 by platelets in vitro.
abstract: We altered platelet cholesterol by incubating the cells with either "cholesterol-rich" or "cholesterol-poor" liposomes. These platelets were then used to study the influence of cholesterol content on the metabolism of arachidonic acid, a fatty acid that serves as the critical precursor in the platelet for formation of the potent aggregating agent thromboxane A2. After addition of the aggregating agent thrombin, cholesterol-enriched platelets released 18.1 +/- 0.6 per cent (mean +/- 1 S.E.M.) [14C]arachidonic acid from prelabeled platelet phospholipids. This value was higher (P less than 0.001) than that for cholesterol-depleted platelets (14.6 +/- 1.0 per cent). Conversion of released arachidonic acid to platelet thromboxane B2 (the stable end product of thromboxane A2) was also higher in cholesterol-rich platelets (22.6 +/- 3.9 per cent) than in cholesterol-depleted platelets (13.8 +/- 2.7 per cent). These studies show that changes in the cholesterol content of human platelets in vitro have a significant effect on platelt metabolism of arachidonic acid. N Engl J Med 302:6-10, 1980).
mesh_terms: D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000097:blood; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008081:Liposomes / Q000032:analysis; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood; D010974:Platelet Aggregation; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood; D013917:Thrombin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013929:Thromboxane B2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013931:Thromboxanes / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D008081:Liposomes; D010743:Phospholipids; D013931:Thromboxanes; D012701:Serotonin; D013929:Thromboxane B2; D002784:Cholesterol; D013917:Thrombin