title: Antiplatelet therapies: platelet GPIIb/IIIa antagonists and beyond.
abstract: Accumulating evidence supports the critical role of platelet involvement in arterial thrombosis, and argues for the development of more efficacious, yet safe, antiplatelet therapies. Aspirin continues to be used routinely for the management of acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina and secondary prevention of ischemic events. Nevertheless, adverse clinical outcomes still occur. Newer-generation drugs such as clopidogrel (an adenosine-diphosphate receptor antagonist) and intravenous glycoprotein (GP)IIb/IIIa antagonists (inhibitors of platelet aggregation irrespective of the stimulus) have demonstrated significant clinical benefit. This review will discuss the role of the aforementioned antiplatelet therapies in thrombotic disorders as well as future directions in the field.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA. konst_k@jhu.edu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konstantopoulos
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mousa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000139:chemically induced; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex