Effect of epinephrine on rapid ADP-induced aggregation, protein phosphorylation, and cytoplasmic calcium dynamics of...

We have used a general quenched-flow approach to study platelet function as early as 0.3 seconds after stimulation with a low concentration of adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) (0.5 mumol/L), epinephrine (15 mumol/L), or a combination of the two. Compared with ADP alone, the combination nearly doubled the rate of aggregation as measured by the loss of single particles. Our aim was to determine whether the aggregation, protein phosphorylation, and cytoplasmic calcium responses to this potentiating combination of ADP and epinephrine were analogous to those caused by a maximal concentration of ADP (10 mumol/L) and also to determine whether cyclooxygenase was involved in this potentiation. Phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) and the 47 kd protein were analyzed during the first 5 seconds of platelet response and were related to the progress of aggregation. Unlike aggregation, ADP-induced phosphorylations of both MLC and the 47 kd protein were inhibited rather than potentiated by epinephrine. Pretreatment of the platelets with indomethacin did not affect aggregation or MLC phosphorylation, but increased 47 kd phosphorylation at 0.6 seconds and eliminated it at 3 seconds. Cytoplasmic free calcium ([Ca2+]i) of indo-1-loaded platelets were monitored with our continuous-flow fluorescence approach. Although epinephrine itself did not change [Ca2+]i, it potentiated the [Ca2+]i rise induced by a low dose of ADP. A comparison of these results with platelet activation caused by 10 mumol/L ADP indicates that MLC and 47 kd phosphorylations are not correlated with [Ca2+]i dynamics and are not required or directly involved in platelet aggregation.