Prothrombotic effects of endothelin-2 (ET-2).

In this report we demonstrate that ET-2, in addition to its powerful vasoconstrictor properties and its role in hypertension, is capable of creating a hypercoagulable (prothrombotic) state. This study was facilitated by the utilization of a sensitive modified recalcification time (MRT) test that can measure coagulation at all points in the coagulation spectrum. The MRT was determined on aliquots (1 ml) of citrated blood which were added to saline (MRTS), to 10 micrograms of endotoxin (MRTE), and to 10 pg of ET-2 (MRT ET-2). The mean values of MRTS, MRTE, and MRT ET-2 were 4.3 +/- 0.8, 3.7 +/- 1.0, and 3.9 +/- 0.8 min, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between MRTE vs. MRTS and MRT ET-2 vs. MRTS using the two-tailed t-test (p < 0.02 and p < 0.005, respectively).