Acute effects of low dose nicotine gum on platelet function in non-smoking hypertensive and normotensive men
✍ Scribed by H. H. Mundal; K. Gjesdal; P. Hjemdahl
- Publisher
- Springer
- Year
- 1995
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 586 KB
- Volume
- 47
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0031-6970
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Twenty non-smoking middle-aged men with mild untreated essential hyperteflsion were compared to age-matched controls (n = 22) in a double-blind placebo controlled study. Plasma and urinary concentrations of the platelet-specific protein fi-thromboglobulin (fi-TG), platelet count and mean platelet volume were measured before and after chewing 2 mg nicotine gum.
The mean plasma nicotine concentration increased to 4.3 ng/ml in the hypertensive group and to 3.9 ng/ml in the normotensive group after 30 minutes of chewing the nicotine gum. Blood pressure and heart rate increased significantly, but there was no difference between the groups. Venous plasma catecholamine concentrations were unchanged, fi-TG concentrations in plasma and urine were similar in the two groups, and plasma fi-TG levels did not change after nicotine gum in either group. Urinary high molecular weight fi-TG decreased after nicotine compared to placebo. Platelet count and volume increased significantly in the hypertensive group, but not in the normotensive group. The response in platelet count was significantly higher in the hypertensive group.
Thus, small amounts of nicotine increase platelet counts more in hypertensive than in normotensive nonsmoking men, without inducing the platelet release reaction.