Effect of magnesium on cocaine-induced, catecholamine-medicated platelet and vascular response in term pregnant ewes

Article Abstract:

Catecholamines are chemicals produced by the body which constrict blood vessels. Cocaine is a drug which exerts its influence on blood vessels by causing the effects of catecholamines to last longer. Blood vessel constriction can affect the circulation of blood in the mother and fetus. How increased levels of catecholamines affect platelets, cells involved in blood clotting, is unknown. Clotting due to platelet aggregation can cause infarctions, or areas of tissue death, in many organs including the placenta. Magnesium is capable of dilating blood vessels and has a platelet-sparing effect. The effects of magnesium on platelets after cocaine-induced catecholamine excess were studied in 10 pregnant sheep. It was found that the excess catecholamines produced by cocaine increased the activation and destruction of platelets. When magnesium was later infused, the number of platelets increased, presumably from deaggregation of platelet cells. In addition there was a decrease in blood vessel constriction. Deaths after cocaine use in athletes, diabetics, alcohol abusers and pregnant women may be the result of infarctions produced by platelet activation. Many of these patients were found to be deficient in magnesium. It is possible that magnesium can control the dangerous effects of cocaine on blood vessels.

Usage, Measurement, Laboratory animals, Blood platelets, Cocaine, Magnesium in the body, Magnesium (Nutrient)

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Effects of thromboxane synthetase inhibition on maternal-fetal homeostasis in gravid ewes with ovine pregnancy-induced hypertension

Article Abstract:

High blood pressure in pregnancy is a leading cause of maternal and fetal complications affecting five to 10 percent of all pregnancies. The status of the fetus is determine by ultrasonic imaging of the fetal heart rate. If the fetus appears to be compromised, early delivery is recommended. It has been suggested that high blood pressure of pregnancy may be caused by an alteration of the clotting mechanisms in blood, particularly the aggregation of platelet cells which clump during clotting. An imbalance in thromboxane synthetase, an enzyme which induces platelets to aggregate may contribute to the development of preeclampsia, a condition of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure, swelling and protein in the urine. To see if inhibiting thromboxane production will prevent high blood pressure, high blood pressure was induced in 12 pregnant sheep. The three untreated sheep delivered early. The nine sheep treated with thromboxane synthetase inhibitors had effective blood pressure control and maintained a full gestation to term. Only one lamb survived in the nontreated group, but 15 out of 18 lambs survived when mothers were given thromboxane synthetase inhibitors. Studies which use thromboxane synthetase inhibitors in the treatment of preeclampsia are warranted.

Models, Thromboxane synthetase

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Do prostacyclin and thromboxane contribute to the "protective effect" of pregnancies with chronic hypertension? A preliminary prospective longitudinal study

Article Abstract:

Changes in the production of prostacyclin in pregnant women with hypertension may control blood pressure during pregnancy as a protective mechanism. Researchers compared urinary excretion of prostacyclin and thromboxane in 6 pregnant women with normal blood pressure and 4 pregnant women with high blood pressure. Thromboxane levels in the urine were similar in both groups, but prostacyclin levels doubled during pregnancy in hypertensive women. Prostacyclin may dilate blood vessels and thereby regulate blood pressure.

Health aspects, Prostacyclin

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