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Abacavir may not activate healthy platelets in patients with HIV
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Abacavir may have prothrombotic potential in association with other antiretroviral medications but not alone, according to findings presented at the 50th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Increased risk for myocardial infarction among patients with HIV who have taken abacavir has been observed but not thoroughly validated in previous studies. The mechanism for the increased risk also has not been described.
Researchers from several facilities in France used healthy donor platelets to examine the effect of abacavir on platelet activation and aggregation.
Platelet aggregation was performed in shear conditions similar to those obtained in stenosed arteries using the SIP Agreg device. The researchers quantified platelet activation by measuring P-selectin expression using flow cytometry. Thrombin generation using thrombinography was used to measure platelet precoagulant potential.
Results indicated no effect of abacavir on shear-induced platelet aggregation, according to the researchers. “Platelet aggregation reached 36% ±3 in the presence of [abacavir] vs. 29% ±25 with vehicle at 4000 sec-1,” they wrote.
The researchers suggested that the inflammatory state present in the described conditions might be responsible for the prothrombotic properties of platelets.
For more information:
- Diallo YL. H-230a. Presented at: 50th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Boston, Sept. 12-15, 2010.