title: Alcohol and polyphenolic grape extract inhibit platelet adhesion in flowing blood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Moderate and prolonged alcohol consumption has been associated with decreased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Inhibition of platelet function in suspension attributes to these effects. Whether alcohol, red wine, or polyphenolic grape extracts (PGE) inhibit platelet adhesion is not known. We investigated platelet adhesion to fibrinogen and collagen in whole blood under standardised flow.
  
  
  METHODS
  Before perfusion was started, citrated whole blood from 95 volunteers was preincubated for five min with different alcohol concentrations, unfractioned red wine and PGE. Then, blood was perfused in a single-passage flow chamber over coverslips coated with human fibrinogen or collagen type III at shear rates of 300 s(-1) and 1600 s(-1).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Alcohol inhibited platelet adhesion to human fibrinogen at high shear rate (concentrations > or = 0.15 per thousand) and low shear rate (only at a concentration of 4.8 per thousand), whereas red wine (concentrations > or = 0.15 per thousand) inhibited platelet adhesion to human fibrinogen at both shear rates. In contrast, PGE (concentrations > or = 0.0225 g L(-1)) inhibited platelet adhesion to human fibrinogen only at low shear rate. None of these incubations affected adhesion to collagen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcohol, red wine and PGE inhibit adhesion to fibrinogen but not to collagen. This inhibition might contribute to the cardioprotective effects of moderate alcohol consumption.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Meander Medical Center, Amersfoort, the Netherlands. d.w.delange@azu.nl
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: de Lange
authors.forename: W L G
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Scholman
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kraaijenhagen
authors.forename: J W N
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Akkerman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van de Wiel
mesh_terms: D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010636:Phenols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D010973:Platelet Adhesiveness / Q000187:drug effects*; D059808:Polyphenols; D027843:Vitis / Q000737:chemistry*; D014920:Wine
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D059808:Polyphenols; D000431:Ethanol; D005340:Fibrinogen; D003094:Collagen