Assessment of the Prophylactic Role of Aspirin and/or Clopidogrel on Experimentally Induced Acute Myocardial Infarction in Hypercholesterolemic Rats

INTRODUCTION Hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as acute infarction. Inflammation and platelet activation are critical phenomena in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). AIM The aim of the study was to assess potential protective effects of aspirin and/or clopidogrel on AMI in hypercholesterolemic rats. METHODS Forty adult male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (eight rats in each). Group I included normal healthy rats. The other 32 rats were subjected to induction of hypercholesterolemia by high-fat diet for 3 weeks, followed by induction of AMI by subcutaneous injections of isoproterenol (85 mg/kg/day, for 2 days). Rats were divided into the following groups: group II, rats with induced hypercholesterolemia and AMI; group III, hypercholesterolemic rats that received aspirin 30 mg/kg/day orally for 7 days before induction of AMI; group IV, hypercholesterolemic rats that received clopidogrel 10 mg/kg/day orally for 7 days before induction of AMI; and group V, hypercholesterolemic rats treated with both aspirin and clopidogrel in the same doses for 7 days before induction of AMI. Serum levels of pentraxin 3 (PTX3), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total cholesterol and triglycerides were estimated in all rats. RESULTS Isoproterenol-induced AMI in hypercholesterolemic rats was associated with an increase in serum levels of PTX3, TGF-β1, CK and LDH. Aspirin and/or clopidogrel pretreatment for 1 week led to a reduction of their levels as compared with non-treated rats. However, the reduction caused by combination of aspirin and clopidogrel was more than that caused by each drug separately. CONCLUSION Combination of aspirin and clopidogrel could be a therapeutic option for hypercholesterolemic patients to attenuate the complex vascular inflammatory process which is a key step in the setting of AMI.