1. The release of arginine vasopressin from human platelets was investigated in platelet-rich plasma after irreversible aggregation induced by adenosine 5′-pyrophosphate, collagen, sodium arachidonate, thrombin and adrenaline in vitro.
2. Arginine vasopressin levels were significantly higher in the supernatant from stimulated platelet-rich plasma than from unstimulated samples, reaching 3.5 × 10−12 (range 1.6–12.5 × 10−12) mol/l in the absence of an aggregating agent, 8.8 × 10−12 (range 4.2–17.5 × 10−12) mol/l after adenosine 5′-pyrophosphate, 13.7 × 10−12 (2.2–63.2 × 10−12) mol/l after collagen, 7.8 × 10−12 (2.2–14.6 × 10−12) mol/l after sodium arachidonate, 7.8 × 10−12 (2.2–16.3 × 10−12) mol/l after thrombin and 12.2 × 10−12 (4.8–32.1 × 10−12) mol/l after adrenaline.
3. An arginine vasopressin level of 18 × 10−12 mol/l, which can be achieved physiologically, increased the sensitivity of platelets to adenosine 5′-pyrophosphate and collagen in vitro; the same concentration of arginine vasopressin caused a potentiation of the effect of catecholamines on the response of platelets to sodium arachidonate.
4. These results indicate that intraplatelet arginine vasopressin is released during aggregation and suggest that a local release of arginine vasopressin could occur after complete platelet aggregation in vivo.
