title: The effect of defibrotide on thromboembolism in the pulmonary vasculature of mice and rabbits and in the cerebral vasculature of rabbits.
abstract: 1. Administration of bovine thrombin (100 u kg-1) into the carotid artery of rabbits induces a sustained accumulation of 111 Indium-labelled platelets within the cranial vasculature over the subsequent 3 h. 2. Intracarotid (i.c.) administration of defibrotide (64 mg kg-1 bolus plus 64 mg kg-1 h-1 for 1 h) prior to i.c. thrombin (100 u kg-1) significantly reduces the ability of thrombin to induce cranial thromboembolism in rabbits. 3. Intravenous (i.v.) administration of thrombin (20 u kg-1) in rabbits induces a reversible accumulation of radiolabelled platelets into the thoracic circulation which is significantly reduced by i.v. administration of defibrotide (64 mg kg-1 bolus plus 64 mg kg-1 h-1 for 1 h) prior to i.v. thrombin. In contrast, platelet accumulation in response to adenosine diphosphate (ADP; 20 micrograms kg-1, i.v.) or platelet activating factor (PAF; 50 ng kg-1, i.v.) is not significantly affected by this treatment. 4. Intravenous administration of the nitric oxide (NO)-synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 10 mg kg-1) potentiates platelet accumulation induced by low dose thrombin (10 u kg-1, i.v.) within the pulmonary vasculature of rabbits. The potentiated response is significantly abrogated following pretreatment with defibrotide (64 mg kg-1 bolus plus 64 mg kg-1 h-1 for 1 h, i.v.). 5. Intravenous injection of human thrombin (1250 u kg-1) to mice induces death within the majority of animals which is significantly reduced by pretreatment with defibrotide (150-175 mg kg-1, i.v.). In contrast, death induced by i.v. collagen (1.25 mg kg-1) plus adrenaline (75 microg kg-1) is not significantly affected by defibrotide pretreatment.6. The inhibitory effect of defibrotide in mice is abolished following concomitant treatment with the inhibitor of fribrinolysis, tranexamic acid (100 mg kg-1, i.v.), but is unaffected following treatment with the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, aspirin (300 mg kg-1, i.p.).7. The protective effect of defibrotide against thrombin-induced thromboembolism in the mouse is potentiated by recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator (rt-PA; 1 mg kg-1, i.v.) or unfractionated heparin (10 u kg-1, i.v.) administration.8. The results suggest that defibrotide may possess antithrombotic activity on thrombin-induced thromboembolism which, at least in the mouse, may be partially mediated via induction of the fibrinolytic pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, King's College, University of London.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gresele
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Momi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Page
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005342:Fibrinolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002542:Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D011089:Polydeoxyribonucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011817:Rabbits; D013917:Thrombin
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D011089:Polydeoxyribonucleotides; C036901:defibrotide; D013917:Thrombin