Changes in platelet function and gastrointestinal bleeding following repeated administration of acetylsalicylic acid in the rat and the dog

Abstract

Two dogs were prepared with Pavlov pouches of the fundic area of the stomach using standard techniques. During treatment periods of 14 days, 200 mg acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) was introduced into the pouch twice daily by insufflation. One hour after each drug administration the pouch was washed with saline and the fluid assayed for blood. Bleeding from the pouch increased to a maximum on the 3rd or 4th day of the treatment period and subsequently declined such that by the 8th day blood loss was minimal and approximated that found during control periods. Platelet aggregation (in vitro) responses to adenosine diphosphate were significantly (p less than 0.01) inhibited on day 3 when aggregation curve heights were reduced by 66.2 +/- 13.11% (mean +/- SEM) from control values. On day 7 and during the ensuing 7-day period when ASA was given twice daily, the heights of aggregation responses were reduced by only 20-30% from controls. These responses were significantly (p less than 0.001) greater than those found on day 3. Similar changes in platelet reactivity were found in plasma from rats given ASA twice daily for 7 days. Aggregation responses to collagen were depressed by 95.5 +/- 4.49% on day 1 following two doses of ASA. As the treatment period continued, the aggregation responses increased in magnitude until the 7th day they were similar in height to those from control animals. The mechanism involved in this adaptation to ASA treatment seen with these platelets is not known.