The effect of ibuprofen on accumulation of indium-111-labeled platelets and leukocytes in experimental myocardial infarction

Abstract

To assess the ability of ibuprofen to influence the extent of platelet aggregation and leukocyte infiltration during acute myocardial infarction, autologous indium-111 (111-In)-labeled platelets or leukocytes were injected before 60 minutes of left circumflex coronary artery (LCx) occlusion, followed by 24 hours of reperfusion in the canine heart. Myocardial infarct size, as a percent of the area at risk, was reduced in the ibuprofen-treated group (12.5 mg/kg i.v. every 4 hours beginning 30 minutes before LCx occlusion) by 40%, from 48 +/- 4% in control animals to 29 +/- 4% in ibuprofen-treated dogs (p = 0.005). Quantification of the platelet-associated 111In radioactivity in irreversibly injured myocardium indicated that ibuprofen did not alter the accumulation of platelets in infarcted myocardium. In contrast, leukocyte accumulation in infarcted tissue was reduced significantly. In tissue samples with 0.41-0.60 gram infarct, the infarcted/normal ratio of leukocyte radioactivity was 12 +/- 2 in control dogs and 4 +/- 1 in ibuprofen-treated dogs, which represents a 67% reduction in leukocyte accumulation in ibuprofen-treated compared with control dogs. Similar reductions were found in other gram-infarct-weight categories. Although both platelets and leukocytes accumulate in infarcted canine myocardium, ibuprofen may exert its beneficial effect on ischemic myocardium by suppressing the inflammatory response associated with myocardial ischemia and infarction.