Reduction of Death Rate Due to Acute Myocardial Infarction in Subjects with Cancers through Systemic Restoration of Impaired Nitric Oxide

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 2; p. e88639
• Main Authors: Ghosh, Rajeshwary, Ray, Udayan, Jana, Pradipta, Bhattacharya, Rabindra, Banerjee, Debipriya, Sinha, Asru
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 18.02.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adenosine Diphosphate - adverse effects; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Agglomeration; Angina pectoris; Aspirin; Biology; Blood clots; Blood platelets; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Cardiovascular disease; Case-Control Studies; Comparative analysis; Coronary artery; Coronary Thrombosis - chemically induced; Coronary Thrombosis - prevention & control; Coronary vessels; Cotton; Death; Female; Heart attacks; Humans; Insulin; Male; Medicine; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Mortality; Myocardial infarction; Myocardial Infarction - blood; Myocardial Infarction - complications; Myocardial Infarction - mortality; Neoplasms - complications; Nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - blood; Nitroprusside; Nitroprusside - pharmacology; Peptides - blood; Plasmin; Platelet aggregation; Platelets; Restoration; Skin; Sodium; Sodium chloride; Sodium nitroprusside; Thrombolysis; Thrombosis
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088639

Excessive aggregation of platelets at the site of plaque rupture on the coronary artery led to the formation of thrombus which is reported to precipitate acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Nitric oxide (NO) has been reported to inhibit platelet aggregation and induce thrombolysis through the in situ formation of plasmin. As the plasma NO level in AMI patients from two different ethnic groups was reduced to 0 µM (median) compared to 4.0 µM (median) in normal controls, the effect of restoration of the NO level to normal ranges on the rate of death due to AMI was determined. The restoration of plasma NO level was achieved by a sticking small cotton pad (10×25 mm) containing 0.28 mmol sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in 0.9% NaCl to the abdominal skin of the participants using non-toxic adhesive tape which was reported to normalize the plasma NO level. The participants (8,283) were volunteers in an independent study who had different kinds of cancers and did not wish to use any conventional therapy for their condition but opted to receive SNP "pad" for their condition for 3 years. The use of SNP "pad" which normalized (≈4.0 µM) the plasma NO level that in consequence reduced the death rate due to AMI, among the participants, was found to be significantly reduced compared to the death due to AMI in normal population. Our data suggested that the use of SNP "pad" significantly reduced the death due to AMI. www.ctri.nic.in CTRI/2013/12/004236.