Abstract
Measured levels of plasma thromboxane B2 (TXB2) do not reflect endogenous thromboxane (TX) production precisely, because mechanical stimulation of platelets during blood sampling may cause TXB2 production. il-Dehydro TXB2 (11-DTX) which is one of the major metabolites of TXB2 and is not converted from TXB2 by blood cells or plasma, is considered suitable as a target for measurement of TX production in vivo. We measured, by radioimmunoassay, plasma TXB2, 11-DTX and the ability of platelets to produce TXB2 during spontaneous clotting (TX production) in 46 diabetics and 31 normal controls.
Plasma TXB2 concentration and plasma 11-DTX concentration were higher in diabetics than in normal controls, but TX production did not differ between diabetics and normal controls. The plasma TXB2/11-DTX ratio had a tendency to be higher in diabetics than in normal controls. These results suggest that in diabetics, the high concentrations of plasma TXB2 and 11-DTX are caused by high concentrations of circulating TXA2 in vivo; and the high plasma TXB2/11-DTX ratio in diabetics may also indicate a tendency for increased synthesis of TXB2 during blood sampling in diabetics.
