Triflavin, an Arg‐Gly‐Asp‐containing Peptide, Inhibits Tumor Cell‐induced Platelet Aggregation

In this study, we examined the effect of triflavin, an Arg‐Gly‐Asp (RGD)‐containing snake venom peptide, on human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cell‐ and B16‐F10 mouse melanoma cell‐induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) in heparinized platelet‐rich plasma. TCIPA appears to play an important role in the development of certain experimental tumor metastases. Two ADP‐scavenging agents, apyrase (10 U/ml) and creatine phosphate (CP) (5 mM)/creatine phosphokinase (CPK) (5 U/ml) completely inhibited B16‐F10 TCIPA, but hirudin (5 U/ml) had no effect. In contrast, apyrase and CP/CPK did not inhibit HeLa TCIPA while hirudin completely inhibited it. Furthermore, HeLa cells initially induced platelet aggregation and then blood coagulation at a later stage. In addition, HeLa cells shortened, in a concentration‐dependent manner, the recalcification time of normal as well as factor VIII‐ and IX‐deficient human plasma, but did not affect the recalciflcation time of factor VII‐deficient plasma. This suggests that HeLa TCIPA occurs via activation of the extrinsic pathway, probably owing to tumor cell expression of tissue factor‐like activity. HeLa cell‐induced thrombin generation was confirmed by detection of amidolytic activity towards a chromogenic substrate, S‐2238 (H‐D‐Phe‐Pip‐Arg‐p‐NA). Triflavin and GRGDS inhibited, in a dose‐dependent manner, TCIPA caused by either cell line. On a molar basis, triflavin was 10,000–30,000 times more potent than GRGDS in this regard. Moreover, monoclonal antibodies raised against glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa complex (i.e., 7E(3) and AP(2)) and against GP Ib (i.e., AP(1)) completely inhibited HeLa TCIPA. 7E(3) and AP(2) inhibited B16‐F10 TCIPA by up to 80% whereas AP(1) showed only 30% inhibition of B16‐F10 TCIPA. In conclusion, the inhibitory effect of triflavin on HeLa and B16‐F10 TCIPA may be mediated principally by the binding of triflavin to the fibrinogen receptor associated with GP IIb/IIIa complex on the platelet surface. However, GP Ib is also involved in HeLa TCIPA as thrombin formation is the key factor in triggering platelet aggregation caused by HeLa cells.