Improvement of coronary vasomotion with eicosapentaenoic acid does not inhibit acetylcholine-induced coronary vasospasm in patients with variant angina.
Impaired function of the endothelium may be a mechanism of the coronary vasospasm induced by acetylcholine. We examined whether purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a major component of fish oil, improves the coronary vasomotion in response to acetylcholine, and the effect of purified EPA on acetylcholine (ACh)-induced coronary vasospasm in 22 patients with variant angina. ACh was infused into the coronary artery both before and after 4 months of EPA treatment (EPA 1.8 g/day, n = 12). In the control group (n = 10) that did not receive EPA, the response of the coronary diameter to ACh did not change over time. In the EPA-treated group, the cholinergic response in non-spastic sites changed from vasoconstriction to vasodilation, while ACh-induced coronary vasospasm persisted at the spastic sites. Therefore, EPA treatment improved the coronary vasomotor responsiveness to ACh, but did not inhibit ACh-induced coronary vasospasm.
Yamamoto
H
H
Department of Medicine, Kyushu Kosei Nenkin Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.
Yoshimura
H
H
Noma
M
M
Suzuki
S
S
Kai
H
H
Tajimi
T
T
Sugihara
M
M
Kikuchi
Y
Y
D000109:Acetylcholine; D000788:Angina Pectoris, Variant / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003329:Coronary Vasospasm / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000187:drug effects*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000187:drug effects*
D008055:Lipids; D008074:Lipoproteins; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D000109:Acetylcholine