Platelet prostaglandin E1 hyposensitivity in schizophrenia: decrease in cyclic AMP formation and in inhibitory effects on aggregation.

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) formation via prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) or forskolin stimulation was determined in washed platelets from 35 schizophrenic patients and 34 normal controls. The inhibitory effects of PGE1 and forskolin on platelet aggregation response (PAR) elicited by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) were also examined simultaneously. Both PGE1- and forskolin-stimulated cAMP formation decreased in platelets from schizophrenic patients, as compared with those from normal controls. PGE1 inhibition of PAR was significantly lowered in schizophrenic patients compared to normal controls, but forskolin inhibition was not. No correlations between PGE1- or forskolin-stimulated cAMP formation and inhibitory effects of PGE1 or forskolin on PAR, respectively, were explained by the complex factors involved in PAR. In conclusion, platelet hyposensitivity to PGE1 in schizophrenic patients is partially based on aberrant adenylate cyclase (AC) activity and includes other variables related to PAR.