Summary
In the present study, we examined the antiplatelet effects of the two nitric oxide
(NO)-donating agents, (±)-N -[(E)-4-ethyl-3-[(Z)hydroxyimino]-6-methyl-5-nitro-3-heptenyl]-3-pyridinecarboxamide (FR146801), a more
stable analog of FK409 ((±)-(E)-4-ethyl-2-[(E)-hydroxyimino]-5-nitro-3-hexenamide), and FK409 in in vitro and in vivo experiments. FR146801 and FK409 inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation
in human and rat platelet-rich plasma in a concentration-dependent manner, however,
the inhibitory effect of FR146801 was weaker than that of FK409. In human washed platelets
(WP), FR146801 and FK409 inhibited collagen-induced platelet aggregation in a concentration-dependent
manner. The inhibitory effects of FR146801 and FK409 on platelet aggregation were
closely reflected by the increase in the intraplatelet cGMP level. This intensely
suggests that the antiplatelet activities of FR146801 and FK409 are due to NO-released
from them. In the rat extracorporeal shunt model, FR146801 inhibited thrombus formation
dose-dependently and its inhibition was significant at 10 mg/kg, p.o. FK409 suppressed
thrombus formation significantly at 1.0 mg/kg, p.o., at which it induced significant
hypotension, whereas FR146801 did not show any significant hypotensive effect even
at 10 mg/kg, p.o. These results suggest that FR146801 has desirable antiplatelet effects
both in vitro and in vivo and that its in vivo antiplatelet effect is more selective than its hypotensive effect, while FK409 does
not show a selective antiplatelet effect in vivo.