title: Antagonism of selectin function attenuates microvascular platelet deposition and platelet-mediated myocardial injury after transient ischemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to assess whether selectin blockade reduces myocardial platelet deposition and platelet-mediated injury after transient ischemia.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Selectins participate in platelet adhesion to reperfused endothelium.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thiopental-anesthetized, open-chest pigs were subjected to mechanical injury of the left anterior descending coronary artery followed by a 48-min occlusion and 2 (n = 20) or 4 (n = 16) h of reperfusion. Fifteen minutes before occlusion, animals were blindly allocated to receive a continuous intravenous infusion of the selectin blocker fucoidan (30 microg/kg/min, plus a 1-mg/kg bolus in the latter group) or saline. In isolated rat hearts infused with thrombin-activated platelets, the effects of fucoidan (30 microg/ml) administered during reperfusion after 40 min of global ischemia were also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fucoidan did not prevent the development of cyclic reductions in coronary flow, but reduced the content of (99m)Tc-labeled platelets in reperfused myocardium after 2 h of reperfusion (23.4 +/- 3.3 vs. 42.1 +/- 8.3 x 10(6) platelets/g in treated and untreated animals, p = 0.03) and attenuated the impairment in the coronary flow reserve and reduced infarct size after 4 h (53 +/- 2% vs. 73 +/- 5% of the ischemic region, respectively, p = 0.003). Treated animals showed a trend toward less neutrophil infiltration early after reperfusion, but not after 4 h. In isolated hearts, fucoidan improved functional recovery and reduced coronary resistance and lactate dehydrogenase release, lacking any beneficial effects if given in the absence of platelets.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that selectin-dependent adhesion is a prominent mechanism of platelet deposition in reperfused cardiac microvessels and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiología, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Barrabés
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Garcia-Dorado
authors.forename: Maribel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirabet
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Inserte
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Agulló
authors.forename: Bernat
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Soriano
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Massaguer
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.forename: Rosa-Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lidón
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soler-Soler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000494:pharmacology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia; D015425:Myocardial Reperfusion; D010973:Platelet Adhesiveness / Q000502:physiology*; D010976:Platelet Count; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019087:Selectins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D011134:Polysaccharides; D019087:Selectins; C007789:fucoidan