RESUMEN
Aspirin remains the standard for stroke prophylaxis. However, as many as 20%-25% of patients may fail to show a full response to aspirin. Ideally, patients who are resistant to aspirin could be identified, then receive an increased dose of aspirin or be changed to an alternative therapy more efficiently. We have developed an in vitro assay that may make this possible. Healthy volunteers (n = 13) between 18 and 50 years of age were tested for both ex vivo and in vivo responses to aspirin. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was selected as the solvent for aspirin in the assay. DMSO can exhibit antiplatelet effects, necessitating the use of a concentration low enough to avoid such antiplatelet effects. Blood samples were tested against DMSO 0%, 0.05%, 0.5%, and 1% w/v with and without aspirin 0, 50, and 100 µM. The effects of both agents were measured via whole-blood aggregometry. A 3-dimensional response model described the data well, quantifying the combinatorial effect of DMSO and aspirin on platelet aggregation. Across all participants, baseline aggregation stimulated with collagen 1 µM or arachidonate 0.5 mM was approximately 18 and 13 Ω, respectively. The response model showed that 0.05% DMSO with 100 µM aspirin would provide platelet aggregation of 3.4 Ω. A DMSO concentration of 0.05% in the absence of aspirin would result in no discernable effects on platelet aggregation (17.7 Ω). Overall, the use of 100 µM of aspirin in 0.05% DMSO provides a robust method to test for ex vivo inhibition of platelet aggregation.
Asunto(s)
Aspirina/administración & dosificación , Aspirina/farmacología , Agregación Plaquetaria/efectos de los fármacos , Adulto , Plaquetas/efectos de los fármacos , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Inhibidores de Agregación Plaquetaria/administración & dosificación , Inhibidores de Agregación Plaquetaria/farmacología , Pruebas de Función Plaquetaria , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
This study tested the capability of an assay to predict aspirin response and reduce ischemic events, and healthcare costs, and delays to optimal treatment. Patients who needed aspirin in the course of normal medical care were included. Patients were excluded if they had disorders affecting platelet function, alcohol use within 24 hours of a test, or NSAID use. Dose escalation of chewable aspirin from 81 mg, to 162 mg, to 325 mg daily occurred based on the results of whole blood impedance aggregation testing to the agonists, collagen (1ug/mL, 5 ug/mL) and arachidonate (0.5 mM) after 10-14 days of treatment. The experimental in vitro test was conducted in triplicate by performing aggregometry on samples spiked to a concentration of 10 uM of aspirin in 0.05% dimethyl sulfoxide. Of the 36 patients who were compliant 16 were found to be resistant to the antiplatelet effects of 81 mg daily aspirin. Nine of these patients were predicted to stay resistant despite dose increase. Once tested at higher doses, ten remained resistant. Seven of the 16 patients were predicted to become sensitive to a higher dose while six actually did. Predicted response to increased doses of aspirin was in good agreement with actual response. Sensitivity of the assay was 83% and specificity was 80%. Results are promising and indicate that it is possible to predict, with reasonable accuracy, if a patient will have an adequate platelet response to aspirin or if the patient will never respond to aspirin necessitating an alternative antiplatelet regimen. Larger, multisite studies are inevitably needed.