Effect of vitamin E on acute iron load-potentiated aggregation, secretion, calcium uptake and thromboxane biosynthesis in rat platelets

In the present study performed on rats, we investigated the influence of an in vivo acute iron load on several platelet parameters and their modification after vitamin E supplementation. Iron load was achieved by injecting iron dextran corresponding to 0.1 mg Fe3+ per kg in the gluteus muscles. Control rats were injected with an equal amount of a dextran solution. Analyses were performed 18 h after injection. By comparison with controls, in iron-injected animals, we found significant increases of: (1) serum total iron (by 110%); (2) aggregation of isolated platelets induced by low concentration of thrombin and ADP (by 350% and 120%, respectively); (3) thrombin-induced endogenous serotonin secretion (by 94%). We also studied the mobilization of radiolabeled arachidonate preincorporated into platelet phospholipids. The results indicated that the thrombin-stimulated release of arachidonate and formation of cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase products (particularly thromboxane B2), were significantly increased. We also found in plasma an increase (by 67%) of malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as a decrease of vitamin E (by 60%). When vitamin E was injected the day before iron injection, platelet hyperactivity and thromboxane biosynthesis were reduced as well as the plasma MDA concentration. Consequently, given the key role of calcium flux in the activation processes in platelets, we also investigated the thrombin-induced Ca2+ uptake by means of radiocalcium. We found that in platelets from iron-treated rats the Ca2+ uptake amounted to 3670 +/- 201 pmol/10(9) platelets (plt) and was significantly different from controls (1680 +/- 192 pmol/10(9) plt, P < 0.001). By contrast, in platelets from iron-loaded animals and pretreated with vitamin E, the calcium uptake was greatly reduced. Our results allow us to suggest that a modification of the calcium homeostasis, which could be caused by an oxidative injury, might explain the reported platelet hyperactivity induced after an acute in vivo iron load in rat. Under these conditions, vitamin E supplementation has a protective effect on iron load-induced platelet abnormalities.