Effects of heparin on prostacyclin binding and platelet adenylate cyclase activity stimulated by iloprost and forskolin.

Heparin is known to impair the antiaggregatory effectiveness of prostacyclin (PGI2) for adenosine diphosphate-induced aggregation in citrated platelet rich plasma. Thus porcine mucosal heparin (PMH) from different commercial sources was investigated for its ability to compete with specific platelet prostacyclin binding. In concentrations up to 250 IU/ml PMH itself did not interfere with the binding of 3 X 10(-9) M 9-3H-PGI2-sodium salt to intact washed platelets. The displacement of specifically bound PGI2 observed by PMH (Ki 60 IU/ml) containing 4-chloro-m-cresol (4-CC) was caused by the preservative (Ki 4-CC 3.0 X 10(-4) M). Although 60 IU/ml PMH (free of 4-CC) have been shown to inhibit basal 3 X 10(-5) M forskolin-, and 10(-8)M Iloprost-stimulated adenylate cyclase in platelet membranes (-63%, -62%, -83% respectively), no effect of PMH on 3H-cyclic-AMP formation has been observed when intact platelets were studied by 3H-adenine prelabeling technique. There is also no evidence that the preincubation of PGI2 (5 X 10(-7) M) with 1000 IU/ml PMH might neutralize the effectiveness of this eicosanoid. In contrast, PGI2 preincubated with PMH (10 min, 37 degrees C) caused a more pronounced increase of platelet 3H-cyclic AMP (+65%) compared with PGI2 incubated in 5 X 10(-2) M Tris-HCl, pH 7.4. Thus our data provide no evidence that PMH interferes with i) specific platelet PGI2 binding, ii) PGI2-stimulated cyclic AMP synthesis or iii) neutralizes PGI2 by formation of a biologically less active PGI2-PMH complex.