Mental stress and physical exercise increase platelet-dependent thrombin generation

Abstract

Thrombin generation is an important factor in the pathogenesis of thrombogenic disorders and acute coronary syndromes. Increase in mental stress has been associated with the initiation of the acute coronary syndromes, but the exact mechanism is not known. The present study examined the effects of physical exercise and mental stress on platelet-dependent thrombin generation. Twelve healthy men (mean age 34.2 +/- 2.4 years) underwent a treadmill exercise test and a mental stress test by performing mental arithmetic. Platelet-dependent thrombin generation and plasma concentrations of catecholamines, thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT), plasmin-alpha2 plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were measured before, immediately after, and at 10 and 30 min after stress. Thrombin generation increased significantly immediately after exercise, followed by rapid normalization. Mental stress caused a significant increase in thrombin generation 10 min after stress. While plasma concentrations of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine were elevated immediately after exercise, and rapidly returned to baseline, only plasma norepinephrine increased immediately after mental stress. TAT and PIC concentrations did increase immediately after exercise; however, PAI-1 remained unchanged. The increase in thrombin generation with exercise and mental stress was unaffected by treatment with 81 mg/day of aspirin of 7 days. However, it was inhibited by a single oral 40-mg dose of metoprolol. Both exercise and mental stress cause an increase in platelet-dependent thrombin generation, which was suppressed by beta-blocker therapy, but not by aspirin.

Blood coagulation and fibrinolysis in healthy, untrained subjects: effects of different exercise intensities controlled by individual anaerobic threshold

“…In literature, the reasons for an increase of coagulation potential with rising exercise intensity were explained by elevated catecholamine concentrations and higher shear stress (Ikarugi et al 1999(Ikarugi et al , 2003Kawano et al 2000;von Kanel and Dimsdale 2000). Our present results show a significant increase in norepinephrine after strenuous exercise.…”

Psychological stress in IBD: new insights into pathogenic and therapeutic implications

“…53 The stress induced activation of platelets could be inhibited by beta blockers rather than aspirin, suggesting that sympathetic stimulation is key in the process. 54 Plateletleucocyte aggregate formation is also increased by acute experimental psychological stress 51 55 ; this variable is raised in patients with IBD and may facilitate extravasation of leucocytes to localised areas of inflammation. 56 Response to acute stress in the presence of chronic stress The physiological and immune response to acute experimental stress is exaggerated by the presence of chronic psychological stress (table 1).…”

Stochastic Resonance Activity Influences Serum Tryptophan Metabolism in Healthy Human Subjects

“…Further, the therapeutic potential of vibration in patients with Parkinson’s disease has been confirmed by many investigators 35–37,58. There are also human data showing that exercise transiently increases plasma dopamine levels in healthy stressed subjects 59–61. Our present findings make it reasonable to question if SRT-induced lowering of tryptophan levels and the accompanying reduction of plasma kynurenic acid levels might also involve enhancement of plasma dopamine levels,59–61 which could be important for restoration of normal biochemical events and have a therapeutic effect, not only in the periphery, but likely also in the central nervous system.…”