Comparison of the effects of diltiazem and aspirin on platelet aggregation in cats

Platelet aggregation in response to collagen (1 or 3 micrograms/ml), arachidonic acid (10(-2) M), and adenosine diphosphate (ADP, 2 microM) was compared in healthy cats treated with diltiazem (approximately 2 mg/kg body weight, q 8 hrs for 10 doses), aspirin (approximately 21 mg/kg body weight [1 baby aspirin], q 72 hrs for three doses), or a combination of diltiazem and aspirin. Baseline values obtained prior to treatment served as controls. Addition of arachidonic acid to blood resulted in an impedance change (i.e., aggregation) with time in samples from the nontreated cats and the cats treated with diltiazem, but the addition had no effect in blood from cats treated with aspirin alone or with a combination of diltiazem and aspirin. Platelet aggregation in response to either concentration of collagen or to ADP was not altered by any treatment. Secretion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from the platelets was measured when the aggregating agent was 3 micrograms/ml collagen; secretion was not affected by any treatment.