Erythrocyte-protective effect of sarpogrelate hydrochloride (Anplag ®), a selective 5-HT2 receptor antagonist: an in vitro study.

Sarpogrelate hydrochloride (Anplag(®); Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Osaka, Japan) is a selective S(2)-serotonergic receptor antagonist and is used as an antiplatelet agent. Sarpogrelate has been reported to increase erythrocyte deformability and suppress shear stress-induced hemolysis. In this study, we tested the protective effect of sarpogrelate on erythrocytes in an in vitro model. We compared the normalized index of hemolysis (NIH) between the group that was treated with sarpogrelate (n = 5) and the control group (n = 5) in a mock circulation under a shear force generated by a centrifugal pump. In the former group, 300 mg/day sarpogrelate was orally administered to a human volunteer for 2 days before blood collection. The NIH was significantly lower in the sarpogrelate group than it was in the control group (0.0012 ± 0.0009 vs. 0.0027 ± 0.0005 g/100 l, respectively; p = 0.016). Sarpogrelate suppressed shear stress-induced hemolysis in an in vitro model suggesting that sarpogrelate has a protective effect on erythrocytes under mechanical shear stress.