Reduction of serum prostacyclin stability in ischemic stroke

Prostacyclin is a powerful vasodilator and inhibitor of platelet aggregation that has been implicated to play a role in cerebrovascular disease. Prostacyclin is unstable in aqueous solution and stabilized in serum by binding to an unidentified serum protein as measured by gel filtration. In 15 patients with ischemic stroke we measured the serum prostacyclin binding capacity and the rate of degradation of exogenously added prostacyclin. There was a significant reduction in serum prostacyclin binding capacity and a significant increase in rate of degradation in the patients with ischemic stroke as a whole compared to controls, and in patients with persistent deficits. Decreased serum prostacyclin binding capacity and accelerated rate of prostacyclin degradation in vitro, may reflect an accelerated rate in vivo of prostacyclin degradation, thereby increasing susceptibility to stroke. Since only a small number of patients were investigated, the findings are of a preliminary nature and must be confirmed by further studies with large numbers of patients and appropriate patient controls.