Tachyphylaxis in Human Blood Platelets Induced by Various Agonists and the Effect on Response To other Agonists

Tachyphylaxis of human platelets to ADP, adrenaline, thrombin, 5-HT and vasopressin (VP) was induced by preincubation of stirred citrated PRP with an agonist concentration which induced primary reversible aggregation. The effect was demonstrable within 2 mins, after addition of some of the agonists and persisted for at least 30 mins. The extent of tachyphylaxis showed a positive correlation with agonist concentration used to induce the initial reversible response. Partial aganists at the ADP (2’, 3’-dialcohol ADP) or α-adreno-(clonidine) receptors did not induce significant tachyphylaxis to subsequent addition of the full agonist. In most instances platelets iaade tachyphylactic to a given agonist showed an unchanged or enhanced response to all other agonists including arachidonate. However tachyphylaxis to ADP, 5HT or thrombin was associated with an attenuated response to collagen. Furthermore tachyphylaxis to thrombin also caused attenuation of the response to VP and arachidonate. Induction of tachyphylaxis to VP, or addition of oxytocin (an inhibitor of aggregation induced by VP) had no effect on the response to thrombin. Thus the region of the thrombin receptor responsible for induction of tachyphylaxis to this agonist is not identical with that at which VP interacts. If stimulus-response coupling involves a common pathway for most agonists these data suggest that development of tachyphylaxis depends on events which preceed the effect of the agonists en this common pathway.