[Experimental antithrombotic activity of oral isosorbide dinitrate]

The activity of isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) a nitrate derivative with platelet anti-aggregant properties, was studied on a model of arterial thrombosis by electric stimulation of the rat carotid arteries. In control animals, occlusive thrombosis occurred in 15.3 +/- 1.0 minutes. When administered orally in dosages of 1 to 30 mg/kg, 30 minutes before stimulation, ISDN prolonged the time to arterial occlusion by a factor of 2 to 3 times. This effect was significant from doses of 1 mg/kg. This anti-thrombotic activity was unchanged by pretreatment of 100 mg/kg I.V. of acetylsalicylic acid, a dose sufficient to inhibit prostacycline synthesis. On the other hand, its activity was completely blocked by the administration of an inhibitor of NO-synthetase, L-nitroarginine methylester (1 mg/kg I.V.). These results show that ISDN is active on a model of arterial thrombosis in the rat by a mechanism independent of prostacycline production but implying a stimulation of the formation of nitric oxide.