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Effects of ethanol on platelet aggregation: an in vitro study
Research in Experimental Medicine. Zeitschrift Fur Die Gesamte Experimentelle Medizin Einschliesslich Experimenteller Chirurgie
|January 1, 1983
Summary
Alcohol consumption causes circulating platelet aggregates in pigs. This occurs because alcohol induces adenosine diphosphate (ADP) release from red blood cells, leading to platelet aggregation.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Hematology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Alcohol ingestion is known to cause circulating microaggregates in pigs.
- The precise mechanism behind alcohol-induced platelet aggregation remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of alcohol on platelet aggregation.
- To elucidate the mechanism of alcohol-induced circulating microaggregate formation.
Main Methods:
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and whole blood were incubated with varying concentrations of alcohol.
- Platelet aggregation was measured using a Born-aggregometer.
- Adenosine diphosphate (ADP) release from platelets and red blood cells was assessed.
Main Results:
- Moderate alcohol concentrations (175 mmol/l) reduced collagen-induced platelet aggregation in unstirred PRP, likely due to platelet refractoriness from ADP release.
- High alcohol concentrations (630 mmol/l) induced platelet release in stirred PRP.
- Low alcohol concentrations (17 mmol/l) in unstirred whole blood caused ADP release from red blood cells, explaining platelet refractoriness to ADP and collagen.
Conclusions:
- Alcohol induces platelet aggregation primarily through the release of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) from red blood cells.
- This ADP release is the likely mechanism responsible for the formation of circulating platelet aggregates observed after alcohol ingestion.