Ticagrelor promotes atherosclerotic plaque stability in a mouse model of advanced atherosclerosis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

There is increasing evidence supporting the role of platelets in atherosclerotic vascular disease. The G-protein-coupled receptor P2Y12 is a central mediator of platelet activation and aggregation but has also been linked to platelet-independent vascular disease. Ticagrelor is an oral P2Y12 antagonist that is used as a standard treatment in patients after acute myocardial infarction. However, the effects of ticagrelor on advanced atherosclerosis have not been investigated.

Materials and methods

Twenty-week-old apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice received standard chow or standard chow supplemented with 0.15% ticagrelor (approximately 270 mg/kg/day) for 25 weeks. The lesion area was evaluated in the aortic sinus by Movat's pentachrome staining and lesion composition, th

SUBMITTER: Preusch MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5008449 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature