YC-1 [3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole] inhibited the aggregation of and ATP release from washed rabbit platelets induced by arachidonic acid (AA), collagen, U46619, platelet-activating factor (PAF), and thrombin in a concentration-dependent manner. YC-1 also disaggregated the clumped platelets caused by these inducers. The thromboxane B2 formation caused by collagen, PAF, and thrombin was inhibited by concentrations of YC-1 that did not affect formation of thromboxane B2 and prostaglandin D2 caused by AA. YC-1 suppressed the increase of intracellular Ca2+ concentration and generation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate caused by these five aggregation inducers. Both the cAMP and cGMP contents of platelets were increased by YC-1 in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Like sodium nitroprusside, YC- 1 potentiated formation of cAMP caused by prostaglandin E1 but not that by 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine. Adenylate cyclase and cAMP phosphodiesterase activities were not altered by YC-1. Activity of cGMP phosphodiesterase was unaffected by YC-1. Activities of guanylate cyclase in platelet homogenate and cytosolic fraction were activated by YC-1, whereas particulate guanylate cyclase activity was unaffected. The antiplatelet effect of sodium nitroprusside but not that of YC-1 was blocked by hemoglobin and potentiated by superoxide dismutase. After intraperitoneal administration for 30 minutes, YC-1 prolonged the tail bleeding time of conscious mice. These data indicate that YC-1 is a direct soluble guanylate cyclase activator in rabbit platelets. It may also possess antithrombotic potential in vivo.

Our previous study demonstrated that YC‐1, a derivative of benzylindazole, is a novel activator of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) in rabbit platelets. This work investigated whether the antiplatelet effect of YC‐1 was mediated by a nitric oxide (NO)/sGC/cyclic GMP pathway in human platelets. In human washed platelets, YC‐1 inhibited platelet aggregation and ATP released induced by U46619 (2 μm), collagen (10 μg ml−1) and thrombin (0.1 u ml−1) in a concentration‐dependent manner with IC50 values of (μm) 2.1 ± 0.3, 11.7 ± 2.1 and 59.3 ± 7.1, respectively. In a 30,000 g supernatant fraction from human platelet homogenate, YC‐1 (5–100 μm) increased sGC activity in a concentration‐dependent manner. At the same concentration‐range, YC‐1 elevated cyclic GMP levels markedly, but only slightly elevated cyclic AMP levels in the intact platelets. MY‐5445, a selective inhibitor of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase, potentiated the increases in cyclic GMP caused by YC‐1, and shifted the concentration‐anti‐aggregation curve of YC‐1 to the left. In contrast, HL‐725, a selective inhibitor of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, did not affect either the increases in cyclic nucleotides or the anti‐aggregatory effect caused by YC‐1. Methylene blue, an inhibitor of sGC, blocked the increases of cyclic GMP caused by YC‐1, and attenuated markedly the anti‐aggregatory effect of YC‐1. The adenylate cyclase inhibitor, 2′,5′‐dideoxyadenosine (DDA) did not affect YC‐1‐induced inhibition of platelet aggregation. Haemoglobin, which binds NO, prevented the activation of sGC and anti‐aggregatory effect caused by sodium nitroprusside, but did not affect YC‐1 responses. These results would suggest that YC‐1 activates sGC of human platelets by a NO‐independent mechanism, and exerts its antiplatelet effects through the sGC/cyclic GMP pathway.

Nitric oxide (NO) is known to affect synaptic plasticity in various regions of the brain via the cGMP-cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) pathway. We found that a novel compound 3-(5-hydroxymethyl-2-furyl)-1-benzyl-indazole (YC-1), a drug known to modulate the response of soluble guanylyl cyclase to NO, greatly potentiates long-term potentiation (LTP). This compound markedly enhanced the induction of LTP in rat hippocampal and amygdala slices by weak tetanic stimulation. The potentiation of LTP by YC-1 was greatly reduced by NO synthase inhibitor N G -nitro-L-arginine-methylester, guanylyl cyclase inhibitor 1 H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazolo(4,3-a)-quinoxalin-1-one, and PKG inhibitor (9S,10R,12R)-2,3,9,10,11,12, hexahydro-10-methoxy-2,9-dimethyl-1-ox0 -9.12-epoxy-1H-diindolo[1,2,3-fg:3Ј,2Ј,1Ј-kl]pyrrolo[3,4-I][1,6]benzodiazocine-10-carboxylic acid methyl ester (KT5823). In addition, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor 2Ј-amino-3Ј-methoxyflavone (PD98059) also markedly inhibited LTP potentiating action of YC-1. Intracellular increase of Ca 2ϩ concentration derived from N-methyl-D-aspartate and glutamate metabotropic receptors contributes to the potentiating action of YC-1. Concurrent perfusion of YC-1 and NO donor sodium nitroprusside for a short time period resulted in the induction of LTP by stimuli at a frequency as low as 0.02 Hz. Incubation of unstimulated hippocampal slices with YC-1 plus nitroprusside increased the immunofluorescence of phosphoextracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and phospho-cAMP response element binding protein (CREB). Furthermore, the Western blot shows that the phosphorylation of ERKs 1 and 2 and CREB of unstimulated hippocampal slices was increased by YC-1 plus nitroprusside, which was inhibited by KT5823. The NO-cGMP-PKG-ERK signaling pathway thus plays important role in the potentiation of LTP by YC-1.Learning and memory are two of the most intensively studied subjects in neuroscience. Various approaches have been used to understand the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. Long-term potentiation (LTP) has been identified as a potential synaptic mechanism in several regions of the brain involved in learning and memory (Abel and Lattal, 2001;Schafe et al., 2001). Schaffer collateral inputs to pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus CA1 region exhibit a form of LTP that critically depends on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated Ca 2ϩ influx into the postsynaptic cell (Tsien et al., 1996). It has been suggested that nitric oxide (NO), generated postsynaptically by Ca 2ϩ -calmodulindependent NO synthase (NOS), acts as a retrograde messenger (Son et al., 1996;Wilson et al., 1997). A major target of NO is soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), which generates the intracellular second messenger cGMP. Consistent with a functional role of cGMP in the expression of LTP, sGC inhibitors suppress LTP (Zhuo et al., 1994), and membrane-permeable dibutyryl-cGMP partially reverses reduction of LTP by an NOS inhibitor (Haley et al., 1992). It is well known that GMP regulates th...

SummaryIn the present study, the antiplatelet effect and its mechanism of a new synthetic compound YD-3 [1-benzyl-3-(ethoxycarbonylphenyl)-indazole] were examined. YD-3 inhibited the aggregation of washed human platelets caused by protease-activated receptor (PAR) 4 agonist peptide GYPGKF (IC50 = 0.13 ± 0.02 µM), but had no or little effect on that by thrombin, PAR1 agonist peptide SFLLRN, collagen or U46619. YD-3 produced a parallel, rightward shift of the concentration-response curve for GYPGKF without decreasing of the maximum platelet aggregation, indicating a competitive antagonism. In contrast to human platelets, both thrombin- and GYPGKF-induced mouse platelet shape change and aggregation were completely inhibited by YD-3. YD-3 also selectively prevented GYPGKF-induced intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in human platelets. Furthermore, in the PAR1-desensitized human platelets, thrombin induced a relatively slow rise and decay of calcium mobilization that was significantly inhibited by YD-3. In addition, the synergistic effect of SFLLRN and GYPGKF on platelet activation was prevented by YD-3. YD-3 also inhibits both fMLP-stimulated neutrophil- and purified cathepsin G-induced platelet aggregation, which has been demonstrated to be PAR4-dependent. Taken together, our results suggest that YD-3 selectively inhibits PAR4-dependent platelet activation through blockade of PAR4. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first non-peptide PAR4 antagonist.

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