Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Measurement of Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate (cGMP) in Solid Tissues using Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
Published on: July 3, 2025
Clinical and functional correlates of platelet cyclic GMP in essential hypertensives
Carla Sala1, Marta Rescaldani, Erika Santin
1Istituto di Medicina Cardiovascolare and Fondazione Policlinico di Milano, Milano, Italy. carla.sala@unimi.it
Insights
In essential hypertensives, lower platelet cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) is linked to higher risk of thrombotic events. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) positively predicts platelet cGMP, which inversely relates to aggregation response to epinephrine.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Thrombosis and Hemostasis
Background:
- Platelets are key in atherothrombosis, a major complication of hypertension.
- Nitric oxide (NO) inhibits platelet aggregation through cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between platelet cGMP and clinical/hemodynamic factors in essential hypertensives (EHs).
- To assess platelet cGMP's association with responses to aggregating agents.
Main Methods:
- Assessed blood pressure, heart rate, and stroke volume in untreated EHs.
- Measured platelet cGMP, plasma cGMP, ANP, renin, and aldosterone.
- Evaluated platelet aggregation to epinephrine (EPI) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP).
Main Results:
- Platelet cGMP was lower in males and smokers.
- Platelet cGMP correlated with cigarette count, HDLc, aldosterone, and hemoglobin.
- High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) was the best predictor of platelet cGMP in multivariate analysis.
- Platelet aggregation response to EPI, not ADP, was inversely related to platelet cGMP.
Conclusions:
- Platelet cGMP in EHs is positively predicted by HDLc.
- Lower platelet cGMP correlates with increased platelet aggregation to EPI.
- A deficient platelet NO/cGMP system may identify EHs at higher risk for thrombotic events.
Background:
Platelets play a central role in atherothrombosis, which is responsible of major cardiovascular complications in human hypertension. Nitric oxide (NO) inhibits platelet aggregation via the second messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). In essential hypertensives (EHs), we examined the relationship between platelet cGMP and clinical, hemodynamic, humoral variables as well as the responses to aggregating agents.
Methods:
In untreated EHs (male/female 106/43, age 44.4 +/- 1.1 years, smokers yes/no 38/111), blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and stroke volume (SV) (impedance cardiography) were assessed after supine rest and venous blood was sampled for platelet cGMP (radioimmunoassay on acid extracts of washed platelets), plasma cGMP, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), renin activity, aldosterone and platelet aggregation to epinephrine (EPI, 5 micromol/l), and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) (4 micromol/l) (optical aggregometry on platelet-rich plasma (PRP)).
Results:
Platelet cGMP (7.0 +/- 0.3 pmol/10(9) cells, mean +/- s.e.m.) was lower in males and smokers than in their counterparts (P < 0.01 for both). Among the variables tested, platelet cGMP was related to number of cigarettes (-0.21), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) (r = 0.32), aldosterone (r = -0.21), and hemoglobin (-0.16); in a multivariate analysis that also included sex, HDLc was the best predictor of platelet cGMP. The aggregating response to EPI (r = -0.28), but not to ADP (r = -0.07, ns), was inversely related to platelet cGMP levels.
Conclusions:
cGMP in resting platelets of EHs is positively predicted by HDLc and is inversely related to the aggregating response to EPI. It is suggested that a defect of the platelet NO/cGMP system could identify uncomplicated EHs at higher risk of thrombotic events during surges of sympathetic activity.
Related Concept Videos
Hypertension II: Pathophysiology
Hypertension and Regulation of Blood Pressure
Hypertension III: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Calcium Channel Blockers
TKIs, such as imatinib (Gleevec), are particularly effective in tackling the growth and mitogenic factors that become upregulated in PAH patients. These factors contribute to the...
Antihypertensive Drugs: Vasodilators
Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System II: CRP, Hcy, and Cardiac Natriuretic Peptide Markers
These markers indicate stress or strain on the heart muscle:
Natriuretic Peptides (BNP)
Cardiac myocytes produce these hormones in response to ventricular stretching...
