(Circulation. 2001;103:718.)
© 2001 American Heart Association, Inc.
Basic Science Reports |
From the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U.311, Etablissement Français du SangAlsace, Strasbourg, France.
Correspondence to Dr C. Gachet, INSERM U.311, Etablissement Français du SangAlsace (EFS-Alsace), 10, rue Spielmann, BP No 36, 67065 Strasbourg Cédex, France. E-mail christian.gachet{at}etss.u-strasbg.fr
| Abstract |
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Methods and ResultsHuman thromboplastin was injected intravenously into wild-type or P2Y1-deficient mice, and the effects on platelet count and mortality were determined and plasma thrombinantithrombin III (TAT) complexes were quantified. P2Y1-deficient mice were resistant to the thromboembolism induced by injection of thromboplastin. Whereas the platelet count decreased sharply in wild-type mice, there was no significant drop in platelets in P2Y1-knockout mice. The platelet consumption in wild-type mice was probably due to thrombin generation, because it was abolished by hirudin. Thromboplastin also led to a rise in TAT complexes in plasma, again reflecting thrombin formation. This effect, however, was less important in P2Y1-knockout mice than in wild-type mice, indicating that less thrombin was generated in the absence of P2Y1. Similar results were obtained after intravenous administration of N6-methyl-2'-deoxyadenosine-3':5'-bisphosphate, a selective antagonist of the P2Y1 receptor, to wild-type mice.
ConclusionsOur results demonstrate a role of the P2Y1 receptor in thrombotic states involving thrombin generation and provide further evidence for the potential relevance of this receptor as a target for antithrombotic drugs.
Key Words: receptors adenosine diphosphate thrombosis drugs platelets
| Introduction |
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-granules,1 and through
formation of a procoagulant surface by rearrangement of their membrane
phospholipids to expose negatively charged
phosphatidylserine.1 2
Thus, antiplatelet agents may contribute in vivo to an inhibition of
coagulation by decreasing thrombin generation at the surface of
platelets. This has been demonstrated for antiGP IIb/IIIa agents,
which inhibit stasis-induced venous thrombosis in
vivo3 and thrombin formation
in vitro.4 Similarly, the
thienopyridine compounds ticlopidine and clopidogrel, potent and
selective inhibitors of ADP-induced platelet activation that display
antiaggregatory and antithrombotic properties in both animals and
humans,5 6 7
exhibit antithrombotic effects in experimental venous
thrombosis.8 These compounds
were recently shown to significantly inhibit the in vitro thrombin
generation triggered by low concentrations of tissue factor in the
presence of platelets by inhibiting platelet ADP
receptors.9
ADP plays a key role in hemostasis because it is itself an
aggregating agent and because it is released from dense granules during
platelet activation. Released ADP potentiates many in vitro platelet
responses induced by other agents, including
thrombin.10 ADP participates
in the binding of fibrinogen to platelets stimulated by
thrombin11 and is involved
in stabilizing the platelet aggregates induced by thrombin
stimulation.12 At the
intracellular level, ADP has been shown to act synergistically with
thrombin to activate PI
3-kinase13 and phospholipase
D.14 Two ADP receptors
involved in ADP-induced platelet responses have been described to
date.15 The
P2Y1 receptor is responsible for platelet shape
change, which occurs through an increase in intracellular calcium
triggered by G
q/phospholipase C activation.
The adenosine derivatives adenosine 2':5'-bisphosphate, adenosine
3':5'-bisphosphate,16 and
N6-methyl-2'-deoxyadenosine-3':5'-bisphosphate
(MRS2179)17 are selective
antagonists of the P2Y1 receptor. These
compounds block shape change and aggregation in response to usual
concentrations of ADP, demonstrating that the
P2Y1 receptor is necessary for platelet
aggregation.18 19 20
The second, still unknown, platelet ADP receptor, called P2cyc, is
coupled to adenylyl cyclase inhibition, probably through a
G
i2
protein.21 It is the target
of the thienopyridine drugs ticlopidine and clopidogrel and of ATP
derivatives such as the AR-C compounds AR-C67085 and
AR-C69931MX.22 23 24
The P2Y1 and P2cyc receptors are both necessary
to obtain full aggregation in response to
ADP.18 25 26
Recently, it was shown that P2Y1-deficient mice are resistant to the acute thromboembolism induced by intravenous injection of either ADP or collagen and epinephrine.26 27 In vitro, aggregation in response to usual concentrations of ADP was totally abolished in platelets from P2Y1-/- mice. Aggregation in response to collagen was also impaired, whereas thrombin-induced aggregation was affected only at low thrombin concentrations.26 The aim of the present study was to assess the role of the P2Y1 receptor in the thrombin-dependent acute thromboembolism induced by tissue factor administration. In this model, disruption of the P2Y1 gene resulted in a marked reduction in mortality, in platelet consumption, and in levels of thrombin generation in the deficient mice. Moreover, the selective P2Y1 antagonist MRS2179 effectively inhibited thrombin-dependent thromboembolism in wild-type mice.
| Methods |
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In Vivo Thrombosis Model
P2Y1+/+ and
P2Y1-/- mice were produced as described
previously,26 and both
wild-type (P2Y1+/+) and mutant
(P2Y1-/-) mice were 50% 129/Sv50%
C57BL/6 at the F3 generation. C57BL/6 mice were bred at Iffa Credo
(lArbresle, France). Male mice weighing 20 to 30 g were
anesthetized by injection of 150 µL IP of a mixture of 0.2% xylazine
base and 1% ketamine in physiological saline. The jugular vein was
exposed surgically, and thromboplastin was injected at the indicated
dose within an infusion time frame of 3 to 4 seconds. In some
experiments, hirudin (50 mg/kg) or physiological saline (vehicle) was
injected subcutaneously 1 hour before thromboplastin injection.
Necropsies were performed on 5 mice that died, and the mice that
recovered were killed 30 minutes after injection of thromboplastin, and
the lungs were examined. In inhibition tests, the
P2Y1 antagonist MRS2179 (50 mg/kg) or
physiological saline (100 µL/20 g) was injected into the jugular vein
30 seconds before injection of thromboplastin.
Lung Histology
The lungs were removed 2 minutes after injection of
thromboplastin (100 µL/kg) and fixed in 4% formaldehyde. Paraffin
sections 5 µm thick were stained with hematoxylin/eosin, and the
occluded vessels were quantified under a phase-contrast microscope. At
least 5 fields were examined at a total magnification of x200, and the
identifiable occluded vessels (diameter >50 µm) were counted in each
field. Lung histology was performed in 5 wild-type and 6
P2Y1-knockout mice and in mortality experiments
in 5 mice that died and 5 that recovered.
Platelet Counts
Whole blood was diluted 80-fold with Leukoplate, and
platelets (300 to 400 platelets for control mice) were counted with a
hemocytometer under phase-contrast microscopy.
Quantification of ThrombinAntithrombin
III Complexes
Blood was drawn from the abdominal aorta into
Hemogard C.T.A.D. 2 minutes after thromboplastin injection and
centrifuged (13 000g, 10
minutes, 4°C) to obtain platelet-poor plasma. Mouse
thrombinantithrombin III complexes (TAT) in plasma were determined
with a commercial ELISA kit (Enzygnost TAT, Behringwerke AG) and
calibration standards of human origin (2 to 60 ng/mL
TAT).28
Statistical Analyses
The
2 test was used to
determine the significance of the difference in mortality in the sudden
death assay. Students 2-tailed unpaired
t test was used to evaluate the
significance of the differences in platelet count, TAT levels, and
number of occluded vessels.
| Results |
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30 minutes. In most
cases, thromboplastin injection led to transient respiratory arrest and
a decreased heart rate, followed by either definitive respiratory
arrest within 3 to 5 minutes or recovery. Among wild-type mice, 72%
died of widespread pulmonary vascular thrombosis and cardiac arrest. In
contrast, only 36% of P2Y1-/- mice died
under the same conditions
(Figure 1
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Effect of Thromboplastin Injection on
Platelet Count
A lower dose of thromboplastin (100 µL/kg) was
used to study the effects on platelet count in blood drawn 2 minutes
after injection. As shown in
Figure 3
, although the platelet count remained normal in
control wild-type mice injected with physiological saline, it decreased
sharply in wild-type mice receiving thromboplastin (mean±SEM,
1 168 514±570 03 and 451 280±119 217 platelets/µL,
respectively, P<0.0001).
Conversely, no significant decrease in platelet count was observed in
P2Y1-knockout mice injected with thromboplastin
compared with control P2Y1-/-mice
(1 027 086±676 57 and 1 176 000±813 02 platelets/µL,
respectively). Subcutaneous injection of hirudin 50 mg/kg 1 hour before
intravenous injection of thromboplastin 100 µL/kg abolished its
effect on platelet count
(Figure 3
), indicating that platelet consumption was due to
thrombin generation.
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Effect of Thromboplastin Injection on TAT
Formation In Vivo
To further assess thromboplastin-induced thrombin
generation, we measured levels of TAT in plasma after injection of
thromboplastin or saline. Injection of thromboplastin 100 µL/kg led
to an increase in TAT in the plasma of both
P2Y1-/- and P2Y1+/+
mice, reflecting in vivo thrombin generation. Plasma TAT concentrations
were high in either case but nevertheless significantly lower in
P2Y1-deficient mice than in wild-type mice
(mean±SEM, 136.7±15.8 and 191.8±16.2 ng TAT/mL, respectively,
P=0.027)
(Figure 4
). Under the same conditions, basal levels after
injection of physiological saline were 9.11±1.37 and 10.78±1.50 ng
TAT/mL for P2Y1-/- and
P2Y1+/+ mice,
respectively.
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Effect of MRS2179 on Acute Tissue
FactorInduced Thromboembolism
C57BL/6 mice were injected intravenously with
physiological saline or the P2Y1 antagonist
MRS2179 (50 mg/kg) 30 seconds before administration of thromboplastin
100 µL/kg. MRS2179 totally prevented death, whereas 90% of the
control mice receiving saline died within 3 to 5 minutes
(P=0.0008)
(Figure 5
). In another control group, the platelet count had
decreased by 80% 2 minutes after thromboplastin injection (mean±SEM,
214.06±17.94 platelets/µL). No such decrease in platelets was
observed in mice receiving MRS2179 (mean±SEM, 1155.60±52.84
platelets/µL for mice pretreated with MRS2179 followed by
thromboplastin injection, whereas control mice injected with saline
alone displayed 1140.29±45.50 platelets/µL)
(Figure 6a
). Similarly, as in
P2Y1-deficient mice, TAT levels were 35% lower
in mice treated with MRS2179 than in the control group (mean±SEM,
247.90±13.70 and 378.40±34.16 ng/mL, respectively,
P=0.0032)
(Figure 6b
). It is noteworthy that C57BL/6 mice were more
sensitive to thromboplastin administration than mice having a mixed
genetic background (C57BL/6-129/Sv), because a dose of 100 µL/kg
thromboplastin leads to 90% mortality for C57BL/6 mice. For
comparison, 72% mortality for the mixed genetic background
(C57BL/6-129/Sv) is achieved with a dose of 200 µL/kg
thromboplastin.
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| Discussion |
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In the present study, we investigated the role of the P2Y1 receptor in the acute thrombin-dependent thromboembolism induced by intravenous injection in the jugular vein of thromboplastin. P2Y1-deficient mice were more resistant to thromboplastin-induced thromboembolism than wild-type mice. Mortality, which probably resulted from lung occlusion and cardiac arrest, reflected at least in part the pulmonary vessel occlusion seen on all necropsy specimens. No thrombi were found in the kidneys after thromboplastin injection, although we cannot rule out the possibility that thrombi may have been generated in other vascular systems. A sharp decrease in platelet count was observed in the wild-type mice treated with thromboplastin, consistent with platelet thromboembolism of the lung microcirculation. Conversely, no decrease in platelet count was observed in the thrombosis-resistant P2Y1-deficient mice. When hirudin was injected before thromboplastin challenge, wild-type mice displayed no drop in platelets, suggesting that mortality was a consequence of thrombin generation. In addition, plasma TAT concentrations were strongly increased in mice receiving thromboplastin, directly reflecting thrombin formation. TAT levels were less enhanced in P2Y1-knockout mice than in wild-type mice, indicating involvement of the P2Y1 receptor in the in vivo generation of thrombin. Plasma TAT nevertheless remained high whatever the genotype of the mice, in contrast to the situation in thromboembolism induced by injection of collagen and epinephrine into the jugular vein, in which no significant increase in TAT was observed (mean±SEM, 11.51±2.42 and 12.86±3.45 ng TAT/mL for P2Y1+/+ and P2Y1-/-, respectively, after injection of collagen 0.25 mg/kg and epinephrine 60 µg/kg, whereas basal levels were 9.51±1.41 and 7.53±1.08 ng TAT/mL, respectively, after physiological saline administration) (C.L., unpublished data, 1999). Stimulation with collagen and epinephrine resembles arterial thrombosis, however, in which platelets are activated mainly by the subendothelium under conditions of high shear stress,29 30 whereas in the present model, thrombin is the main inducer. Plasma TAT levels were strongly increased in our model of thromboembolism, being close to 400 ng TAT/mL, which is comparable to the levels observed in humans after trauma or sepsis. In these patients, the increase in tissue factor expression leads to a dramatic rise in plasma TAT, to up to 665 ng/mL after trauma or close to 80 ng/mL in sepsis.31
Thromboplastin injection, which mimics in vivo tissue factor exposed or released from damaged vessel wall or circulating cells, activates factor VII and triggers the coagulation cascade, leading to thrombin formation.32 Thrombin activates platelets and endothelial cells, resulting in the development of procoagulant activities and explosive thrombin generation. In this process, platelets have been estimated to accelerate thrombin formation by 5 to 6 orders of magnitude.1 Platelets from P2Y1-deficient mice are less responsive in vitro to threshold doses of thrombin than normal platelets,26 suggesting that circulating platelets in P2Y1-knockout mice may be less strongly activated than those of wild-type mice after thromboplastin injection. This phenomenon could at least partly account for the thromboresistance of P2Y1-/- mice. This, however, might not be the only reason for the enhanced resistance of P2Y1-knockout mice to thrombosis. In thrombin-dependent thromboembolism models, circulating microthrombi result in pulmonary vascular thrombosis.33 34 Such models are very sensitive to vasoactive agents, because vasodilatory compounds have been shown to reduce thrombin-induced mortality.34 In this context, thrombin not only activates coagulation and platelets but also causes pulmonary vasoconstriction,35 which may contribute to organ failure and death in these models. Moreover, because TAT levels remained very high even in P2Y1-deficient mice, it may be possible that their thromboresistance is not entirely due to the difference in thrombin generation resulting from the absence of P2Y1 receptors on platelets. P2Y1 receptors are expressed in a wide range of tissues, and in the cardiovascular system, purinergic nucleotides have been found to exert pronounced although relatively complex effects on coronary tone and mechanical activity of the heart.36 37 Hence, the prevention of mortality may also be related to blockade of these functions either in the cardiovascular system or indirectly in the bronchopulmonary tree.
MRS2179 has been reported to be a selective P2Y1 antagonist with no effect on P2Y2, P2Y4, or P2Y6 receptors.17 In vitro, MRS2179 inhibited ADP-induced platelet shape change and aggregation (pA2=6.55±0.05) but did not affect the ADP-induced adenylyl cyclase pathway, whereas Kd for the binding of [33P]MRS2179 to human platelets was 109±18 nmol/L.38 MRS2179 also inhibited aggregation induced by threshold concentrations of thrombin (0.01 U/mL) in a manner resembling the behavior of platelets from P2Y1-deficient mice.26 In this work, a dose of 50 mg/kg MRS2179 was injected 30 seconds before the thromboplastin challenge. Assuming 2 mL of blood per 20 g of mouse, 50 mg/kg MRS2179 should correspond to a final blood concentration of 1 mmol/L, although it is probably difficult to estimate the true concentration of circulating MRS2179, which will also depend on its clearance. According to the Kd value of 109 nmol/L, this concentration should nevertheless be sufficient to inhibit all P2Y1 receptors. At this dose, MRS2179 prevented thrombin-dependent thromboembolism in C57BL/6 mice. Platelet consumption was also reduced, and less TAT was produced than in control mice receiving no MRS2179. These results confirm our findings in P2Y1-knockout mice as to the role played by the P2Y1 receptor in the contribution of platelet activation to the generation of thrombin.
The thromboplastin injection model can be related to a model of disseminated intravascular coagulation. One pathogenesis of disseminated intravascular coagulation is endotoxin shock, which is triggered in particular by tissue factor expression.39 40 Drugs acting on the platelet P2cyc receptor have already proved effective in models of endotoxin-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation,41 and our results indicate that P2Y1 receptors may also play a role in this pathological condition. The fact that the P2Y1 receptor is involved in thrombin-dependent thromboembolism, together with previous data demonstrating its importance in thrombosis induced by collagen, strongly suggests that this receptor will prove to be a useful target in a wide range of thrombotic diseases.
| Acknowledgments |
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Received April 20, 2000; revision received August 7, 2000; accepted August 14, 2000.
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