Effect of beraprost, a stable prostacyclin analogue, on red blood cell deformability impairment in the presence of hypercholesterolemia in rabbits.
We evaluated the effects of orally administered beraprost, a stable prostacyclin analogue, on the rheological behavior of red blood cells (RBC) in the presence of hypercholesterolemia. Rabbits fed a cholesterolrich diet were administered various doses of beraprost or pravastatin. We evaluated rheological behavior of RBC by assessing RBC deformability, using a positive-pressure filtration method. The maximum pressure generated by passing a suspension of RBC through a membrane filter was used as an index of RBC deformability. After animals were fed cholesterol for 16 weeks, the maximum pressure increased significantly from 172 +/- 15 mm Hg at baseline to 261 +/- 18 mm Hg (p < 0.01, n = 24). The reduction in RBC deformability associated with hypercholesterolemia improved dose dependently during 1-h incubation with various doses of beraprost. In ex vivo study, beraprost markedly restored RBC deformability 3 h after its oral administration to 218 +/- 17 mm Hg (n = 9) at a low dose and to 215 +/- 20 mm Hg (n = 9) at a high dose. The effect persisted for at least 2 h. Pravastatin failed to reduce the increased maximum pressure. Findings suggest that beraprost treatment may improve the microcirculation by restoring RBC deformability in the presence of hypercholesterolemia.
Hayashi
J
J
Department of Gerontology and Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyorin University, Tokyo, Japan.
Ishida
N
N
Sato
H
H
Hata
Y
Y
Saito
T
T
D000818:Animals; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D018056:Hemorheology / Q000187:drug effects; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000139:chemically induced; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017035:Pravastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011817:Rabbits
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; C048081:beraprost; D011464:Epoprostenol; D017035:Pravastatin