Role Of Cyclic Amp In The Inhibition Of Human Platelet Functions By Quercetin, A Flav0N0Id That Potentiates PGI₂ Effect

Injury to the endothelium (END) and subsequent platelet (PLAT)interactions with the subEND are important steps in thrombosis and atherosclerosis. Thus,drugs that protect the END from injury and also inhibit PLAT function are of interest. It has been shown that some flavonoids(FLA), a group of compounds found in plants, prevent END desquamation in vivo, inhibit cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases(PDE)and inhibit PLAT function. We have studied the structure-activity relationships of 13 purified FLA on aggregation and secretion of ¹⁴c-5HT of prelabeled washed human PLAT induced by ADP, collagen(COLL) and thrombin(THR). All the FLA were inhibitors of the 3 agents tested. Quercetin(Q), was the second best after fisetin. It inhibited secretion and aggregation with I₅₀ of 330µM against 0.1 U/ML.THR, 102µM against 5µM ADP and 40 µM against COLL. This inhibitory effect is in the range of that of other PDE inhibitors like dipyridamole or 3-isobutyl-l- methylxanthine. The aggregation induced by ADP, COLL and THR is at least mediated by 3 mechanisms that can be inhibited by increasing cAMP levels. We next investigated if Q, which is a PDE inhibitor of bovine aortic microsomes,raises PLAT cAMP levels. cAMP was measured by a protein-binding method. ADP- induced aggregation(5µM) was inhibited by PGI₂ (0.1 and 0.5 nM) . Inhibition was further potentiated(l.7 and 3.3 times) by lOµM Q, which alone has no effect on aggregation. The basal level of cAMP(2.2 pmol/10⁸PLAT) was not modified by Q (50 to 500µM). Using these concentrations of Q,the rise in cAMP caused by PGI₂(0.1 and 0.5nM) was potentiated in a dose dependent manner. Q potentiated the effect of PGI₂ on the maximum level of cAMP and retarded its breakdown. Thus Q and possibly other FLA could inhibit the interaction of PLAT with the components of the vessel wall by preventing END damage and by inhibiting PLAT function through a rise in cAMP secondary to PDE inhibition and potentiation of the effect of vascular PGI₂ on PLAT adenylate cyclase.