Aspirin treatment reduces platelet resistance to deformation

The present investigation has evaluated the influence of aspirin, its constituents, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents on the resistance of human platelets to aspiration into micropipettes. Aspirin increased the length of platelet extensions into the micropipette over the entire negative tension range of 0.04 to 0.40 dynes/cm after exposure to the drug in vitro or after ingestion of the agent. Other cyclooxygenase inhibitors, ibuprofen and indomethacin, did not increase platelet deformability. The influence of aspirin was mimicked to some degree by high concentrations of salicylic acid, but acetylation of platelets with acetic anhydride had little influence on platelet deformability. Incubation of platelets with both salicylic acid and acetic anhydride had no more effect than salicylic acid alone. Benzoic acid, chemically similar to salicylic acid, had a minimal effect. The studies demonstrate that aspirin makes platelets more deformable, while components of the drug or other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents and cyclooxygenase inhibitors do not have the same influence on resistance to deformation.