title: Differential suppression of thromboxane biosynthesis by indobufen and aspirin in patients with unstable angina.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We have previously reported aspirin failure in suppressing enhanced thromboxane (TX) biosynthesis in a subset of episodes of platelet activation during the acute phase of unstable angina. The recent discovery of a second prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS-2), inducible in response to inflammatory or mitogenic stimuli, prompted us to reexamine TXA2 biosynthesis in unstable angina as modified by two cyclooxygenase inhibitors differentially affecting PGHS-2 despite a comparable impact on platelet PGHS-1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We randomized 20 patients (15 men and 5 women aged 59+/-10 years) with unstable angina to short-term treatment with aspirin (320 mg/d) or indobufen (200 mg BID) and collected 6 to 18 consecutive urine samples. Urinary 11-dehydro-TXB2 was extracted and measured by a previously validated radioimmunoassay as a reflection of in vivo TXA2 biosynthesis. Metabolite excretion averaged 102 pg/mg creatinine (median value; n=76) in the aspirin group and 55 pg/mg creatinine (median value; n=99) in the indobufen group (P<.001). There were 16 samples (21%) with 11-dehydro-TXB2 excretion >200 pg/mg creatinine among patients treated with aspirin versus 6 such samples (6%) among those treated with indobufen (P<.001). In vitro and ex vivo studies in healthy subjects demonstrated the capacity of indobufen to largely suppress monocyte PGHS-2 activity at therapeutic plasma concentrations. In contrast, aspirin could only inhibit monocyte PGHS-2 transiently at very high concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that in unstable angina, episodes of aspirin-insensitive TXA2 biosynthesis may reflect extraplatelet sources, possibly expressing the inducible PGHS in response to a local inflammatory milieu, and a selective PGHS-2 inhibitor would be an ideal tool to test the clinical relevance of this novel pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism in this setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Chieti G. D'Annunzio School of Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cipollone
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Patrignani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Panara
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Padovano
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cuccurullo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Patrono
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Rebuzzi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liuzzo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Quaranta
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maseri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D054833:Isoindoles; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D010654:Phenylbutyrates / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D013928:Thromboxane A2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013929:Thromboxane B2 / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D007527:Isoenzymes; D054833:Isoindoles; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010654:Phenylbutyrates; D013929:Thromboxane B2; D013928:Thromboxane A2; C020371:indobufen; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496511:PTGS1 protein, human; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human; D011451:Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; D001241:Aspirin