Urinary 8-epi-PGF2 alpha may represent a noninvasive, quantitative index of oxidant stress in vivo. Elevated levels of 8-epi-PGF2 alpha in smokers may be modulated by quitting cigarettes and switching to nicotine patches or by antioxidant vitamin therapy.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HITT) is a severe complication of heparin therapy caused by antibodies to complexes between unfractionated heparin (UFH) and platelet factor 4 (PF4) that form over a narrow molar range of reactants and initiate antibody-induced platelet activation. We observed that UFH and tetrameric PF4 formed ultralarge (> 670 kDa) complexes (ULCs) only over a narrow molar range with an optimal ratio of PF4 to heparin of approximately 1:1. These ULCs were stable and visible by electron microscopy, but they could be dissociated into smaller complexes upon addition of heparin. ULCs formed inefficiently when PF4 was incubated with low-molecular-weight heparin, and none formed with the pentasaccharide fondaparinux sodium. In addition, mutation studies showed that formation of ULCs depended on the presence of PF4 tetramers. The ULCs were more reactive as determined by their capacity to bind to a HITTlike monoclonal antibody and showed greater capacity to promote platelet activation in an antibody-and Fc␥RIIA-dependent manner than were the smaller complexes. The capacity of PF4 to form ULCs composed of multiple PF4 tetramers arrayed in a lattice with several molecules of UFH may play a fundamental role in autoantibody formation, antibody-dependent platelet activation, and the propensity for thrombosis in patients with HITT.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia/thrombosis (HIT/HITT) is a severe, life-threatening complication that occurs in 1% to 3% of patients exposed to heparin. Interactions between heparin, human platelet factor 4 (hPF4), antibodies to the hPF4/heparin complex, and the platelet Fc receptor (FcR) for immunoglobulin G, Fc␥RIIA, are the proposed primary determinants of the disease on the basis of in vitro studies. The goal of this study was to create a mouse model that recapitulates the disease process in humans in order to understand the factors that predispose some patients to develop thrombocytopenia and thrombosis and to investigate new therapeutic approaches. Mice that express both human platelet Fc␥RIIA and hPF4 were generated. The Fc␥RIIA/hPF4 mice and controls, transgenic for either Fc␥RIIA or hPF4, were injected with KKO, a mouse monoclonal antibody specific for hPF4/heparin complexes, and then received heparin (20 U/d). Nadir platelet counts for KKO/heparin-treated Fc␥RIIA/hPF4 mice were 80% below baseline values, significantly different (P < .001) from similarly treated controls. Fc␥RIIA/hPF4 mice injected with KKO IntroductionHeparin is one of the most widely used anticoagulants during invasive vascular procedures and to treat thromboembolic diseases. Among patients who receive therapeutic courses of heparin, 1% to 3% will develop an antibody-mediated thrombocytopenia, 1-3 and 30% to 70% of these patients will develop potentially lifethreatening thrombosis. There is abundant evidence that more than 95% of patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) alone and those with thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HITT) develop antibodies that recognize complexes between platelet factor 4 (PF4) and heparin. 4-7 PF4, a major component of platelet ␣-granules, is released when platelets are activated. 8,9 It is currently believed that complexes between PF4 and heparin form on the surface of activated platelets, where they are positioned to be recognized by anti-PF4/heparin antibodies. [10][11][12] Antibodies to the PF4/heparin complex have been shown to activate human platelets in vitro via the platelet Fc receptor (FcR) for immunoglobuin (Ig)-G, Fc␥RIIA. [13][14][15][16] The binding of HIT antibodies to activated platelets probably promotes microparticle release as well as platelet-platelet and platelet-vessel wall interactions, predisposing to thrombosis. 15,17 However, the mechanism by which HIT antibodies activate platelets and promote thrombosis is uncertain. It has been proposed that HIT antibodies bind to cell-surface-associated PF4/heparin complexes via the Fab end of the molecule, providing an opportunity to transduce platelet-activating signals through the interaction between the Fc portion of the bound IgG and Fc␥RIIA. 12,13 Fc␥RIIA, the sole Fc␥ receptor expressed on platelets, 18 has been shown to transduce signals without the requirement for another transmembrane partner. 19 A monoclonal antibody to Fc␥RIIA blocks platelet aggregation and secretion induced by HIT antibodies. 12,13 Although increased...