Effect of naftazone on in vivo platelet function in the rat

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vivo effects of 50 mg/kg (i.p.) naftazone or ticlopidine on platelet functions in the rat. An automated isotope monitoring system (Aims plus) was used to determine the height of platelet aggregation and disaggregation (measured by the area under the curve, AUC) of 111indium-labelled platelets activated by ADP (10 microg/kg i.v.) or collagen (50 microg/kg i.v.). Fibrinogen-binding experiments were carried out with activated platelets in whole blood and measured by flow cytometry. Naftazone reduced the height of platelet aggregation induced by ADP compared with controls (P = 0.024). Ticlopidine-treated rats gave similar results (P = 0.008). Platelet disaggregation, following the aggregation induced by collagen, was significantly increased in naftazone-treated rats compared with controls (P = 0.003). Similar results were observed with ticlopidine-treated rats (P = 0.002). Fibrinogen binding to 2.5 or 5 microM ADP-stimulated platelets, from naftazone-treated rats, were significantly reduced compared with controls (P = 0.05 and 0.04 respectively). These results show that naftazone has similar inhibitory effects on rat platelet functions as ticloplidine. In conclusion, naftazone could be a useful agent to modulate platelet function in patients with cardiovascular disease.