title: Platelets, inflammation and anti-inflammatory effects of antiplatelet drugs in ACS and CAD.
abstract: Platelets play a pivotal role in chronic inflammation leading to progression of atherosclerosis and acute coronary events. Recent discoveries on novel mechanisms and platelet-dependent inflammatory targets underpin the role of platelets to maintain a chronic inflammatory condition in cardiovascular disease. There is strong and clinically relevant crosslink between chronic inflammation and platelet activation. Antiplatelet therapy is a cornerstone in the prevention and treatment of acute cardiovascular events. The benefit of antiplatelet agents has mainly been attributed to their direct anti-aggregatory impact. Some anti-inflammatory off-target effects have also been described. However, it is unclear whether these effects are secondary due to inhibition of platelet activation or are caused by direct distinct mechanisms interfering with inflammatory pathways. This article will highlight novel platelet associated targets that contribute to inflammation in cardiovascular disease and elucidate mechanisms by which currently available antiplatelet agents evolve anti-inflammatory capacities, in particular by carving out the differential mechanisms directly or indirectly affecting platelet mediated inflammation. It will further illustrate the prognostic impact of antiplatelet therapies by reducing inflammatory marker release in recent cardiovascular trials.
authors.forename: Karin A L
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Madhumita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rath
authors.affiliation: Prof. Dr. med. Tobias Geisler, Medizinische Klinik III, Abteilung für Kardiologie und Kreislauferkrankungen, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Strasse 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany, Tel.: +49 7071 29 83688, Fax: + 49 7071 29 5749, E-mail: tobias.geisler@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Geisler
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000097:blood; D015539:Platelet Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
keywords: Antiplatelet agents; atherosclerosis; cytokines; inflammation; platelet physiology