Treatment of acute myocardial ischaemia with a selective antagonist of thromboxane receptors (BM 13.177)

In order to elucidate the role of endogenous thromboxane A2 in myocardial ischaemia, cats were subjected to 5 h of permanent occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and treated with the thromboxane receptor antagonist BM 13.177 (5 mg kg-1 h-1, i.v.). In comparison with vehicle-treated LAD-occluded cats, BM 13.177 significantly attenuated the loss of creatine phosphokinase-specific activity from the ischaemic myocardium and antagonized the ischaemia-induced rise in the ST-segment of the electrocardiogram. BM 13.177 at the dose used did not reduce plasma thromboxane levels or ischaemia-induced platelet aggregate formation but considerably antagonized thromboxane-dependent platelet secretion ex vivo. The study demonstrates some beneficial effects of selective blockade of thromboxane receptors on biochemical and electrophysiological parameters of acute myocardial ischaemia.