Effect of sulfinpyrazone on homocysteine-induced endothelial injury and arteriosclerosis in baboons.

Abstract
The effect of sulfinpyrazone on endothelial injury induced by homocysteine has been studied both in vitro, using cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and in vivo, using a primate model of homocysteine-induced arteriosclerosis. Oral sulfinpyrazone (250 mumol/kg body weight per day in three divided doses) in eight chronically homocystinemic baboons (0.14 +/- 0.04 mM plasma homocystine) decreased the extent of aortic endothelial injury as measured morphometrically by silver staining techniques, compared with six untreated comparably homocystinemic animals (denuded surface averaged 0.5% with range 0-2.1 vs 7.7 +/- 1.6%, respectively; P less than 0.001). Sulfinpyrazone therapy to homocystinemic baboons also normalized platelet survival and turnover measurements (5.1 +/- 0.4 days and 70,000 +/- 11,000 platelets/microliter per day vs. 2.8 +/- 0.6 days and 179,000 +/- 19,000 platelets/microliter per day in untreated homocystinemic controls; P less than 0.001). Sulfinpyrazone therapy also reduced the s...