Impact of Intravenous Nitrate Treatment on Antiplatelet Effects of Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Pilot Study

Background Clopidogrel is a pro-drug that requires metabolic activation by hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in two steps. Previous studies have shown that the administration of continuous nitrate significantly affects the activity of hepatic CYP. In this pilot study, we assess the impact of int...

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Main Authors: Mehmet Melek MD, Hasan Ari MD, Alper Karakuş MD, Selma Ari MD, Ahmet Tütüncü MD, Tahsin Bozat MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/10742484251357147
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author Mehmet Melek MD
Hasan Ari MD
Alper Karakuş MD
Selma Ari MD
Ahmet Tütüncü MD
Tahsin Bozat MD
author_facet Mehmet Melek MD
Hasan Ari MD
Alper Karakuş MD
Selma Ari MD
Ahmet Tütüncü MD
Tahsin Bozat MD
author_sort Mehmet Melek MD
collection DOAJ
description Background Clopidogrel is a pro-drug that requires metabolic activation by hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in two steps. Previous studies have shown that the administration of continuous nitrate significantly affects the activity of hepatic CYP. In this pilot study, we assess the impact of intravenous nitrate treatment on the antiplatelet effects of clopidogrel in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Method We included 20 NSTEMI patients: 15 in the nitrate group and five in the control group. All patients received a 300 mg acetylsalicylic acid and a 600 mg clopidogrel loading dose. The nitrate group was administered an intravenous glyceryl trinitrate infusion at 10 µg/min for 48 h. After the drugs were initiated, blood samples were collected from patients at intervals of 30th minutes, 60th minutes, 120th minutes, fourth hour, sixth hour, and 48th hour to assess platelet function. The antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel was evaluated using the platelet reactivity unit (PRU) from the Verify-Now P2Y12 assay. Result The PRU values at baseline and the 30th, 60th, 120th minutes, and 48th hour were similar between the two groups ( P  > .05). However, PRU values at the fourth and sixth hours were significantly higher in the nitrate group than in the control group (274.1 ± 53.9 vs 162.4 ± 39.9; P  = .002 and 272.0 ± 67.0 vs 185.6 ± 18.1; P  = .03, respectively). Conclusion Intravenous nitrate therapy in patients with NSTEMI delayed the onset of the antiplatelet effect of orally loaded clopidogrel by at least 4 h. This point should be kept in mind in patients using clopidogrel and nitrate therapy together. (NCT06878638)
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spelling doaj-art-a5eb10c33fde40e29e8a11a0adae403a2025-07-03T09:03:51ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics1940-40342025-07-013010.1177/10742484251357147Impact of Intravenous Nitrate Treatment on Antiplatelet Effects of Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Pilot StudyMehmet Melek MDHasan Ari MDAlper Karakuş MD Selma Ari MDAhmet Tütüncü MDTahsin Bozat MDBackground Clopidogrel is a pro-drug that requires metabolic activation by hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in two steps. Previous studies have shown that the administration of continuous nitrate significantly affects the activity of hepatic CYP. In this pilot study, we assess the impact of intravenous nitrate treatment on the antiplatelet effects of clopidogrel in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Method We included 20 NSTEMI patients: 15 in the nitrate group and five in the control group. All patients received a 300 mg acetylsalicylic acid and a 600 mg clopidogrel loading dose. The nitrate group was administered an intravenous glyceryl trinitrate infusion at 10 µg/min for 48 h. After the drugs were initiated, blood samples were collected from patients at intervals of 30th minutes, 60th minutes, 120th minutes, fourth hour, sixth hour, and 48th hour to assess platelet function. The antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel was evaluated using the platelet reactivity unit (PRU) from the Verify-Now P2Y12 assay. Result The PRU values at baseline and the 30th, 60th, 120th minutes, and 48th hour were similar between the two groups ( P  > .05). However, PRU values at the fourth and sixth hours were significantly higher in the nitrate group than in the control group (274.1 ± 53.9 vs 162.4 ± 39.9; P  = .002 and 272.0 ± 67.0 vs 185.6 ± 18.1; P  = .03, respectively). Conclusion Intravenous nitrate therapy in patients with NSTEMI delayed the onset of the antiplatelet effect of orally loaded clopidogrel by at least 4 h. This point should be kept in mind in patients using clopidogrel and nitrate therapy together. (NCT06878638)https://doi.org/10.1177/10742484251357147
spellingShingle Mehmet Melek MD
Hasan Ari MD
Alper Karakuş MD
Selma Ari MD
Ahmet Tütüncü MD
Tahsin Bozat MD
Impact of Intravenous Nitrate Treatment on Antiplatelet Effects of Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Pilot Study
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics
title Impact of Intravenous Nitrate Treatment on Antiplatelet Effects of Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Pilot Study
title_full Impact of Intravenous Nitrate Treatment on Antiplatelet Effects of Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Pilot Study
title_fullStr Impact of Intravenous Nitrate Treatment on Antiplatelet Effects of Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Pilot Study
title_full_unstemmed Impact of Intravenous Nitrate Treatment on Antiplatelet Effects of Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Pilot Study
title_short Impact of Intravenous Nitrate Treatment on Antiplatelet Effects of Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients: A Pilot Study
title_sort impact of intravenous nitrate treatment on antiplatelet effects of clopidogrel in acute coronary syndrome patients a pilot study
url https://doi.org/10.1177/10742484251357147
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