Aspirin can stimulate luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence of activated platelets

A preliminary investigation was conducted into the influence of aspirin on the luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence of platelets stimulated with platelet-activating factor (PAF). Ten coronary artery disease patients and six volunteers without coronary artery disease were included in the study. All the patients received aspirin (daily dose, 100 mg) for at least 10 days before in vitro experiments. Luminol-enhanced luminescence of platelet-rich plasma samples mixed with a PAF solution was measured. After stimulation of platelets with PAF, we did not find a luminol-enhanced chemiluminescent response either in the non-coronary artery disease volunteers or in eight out of the 10 coronary artery disease patients examined. However, in samples from two patients where platelets were stimulated with PAF reactive oxygen species were formed. This ability was expressed as an intensive luminol-enhanced luminescence of activated platelets. Such a reaction was observed against the background of the administration of aspirin. The addition of aspirin to a test tube considerably enhanced the intensity of chemiluminescence. In one case, the cancellation of aspirin was accompanied by diminution of the intensity of luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence of platelets. The clinical significance of this phenomenon is unknown.