Background: Prasugrel and ticagrelor provide a superior anti-ischemic action than clopidogrel, with some of ticagrelor's benefits possibly attributed to adenosine-mediated mechanisms. We aimed to compare the effect of maintenance dose of ticagrelor versus prasugrel on coronary blood flow velocity (CBFV) during increasing doses of intravenously administered adenosine.
Methods and results: In a prospective, single-center, single-blind, crossover study, 56 patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention were randomized to receive either ticagrelor 90 mg BID or prasugrel 10 mg OD with a 15-day treatment period. At the end of each treatment period, CBFV by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography was assessed at baseline and under incremental doses (50 μg/kg per minute, 80 μg/kg per minute, 110 μg/kg per minute, and 140 μg/kg per minute) of adenosine infusion. Maximal CBFV area under the curve was higher for ticagrelor-treated than for prasugrel-treated patients, with a least squares mean difference of 7.16 (95% confidence interval, 2.61-11.7; P=0.003). Maximal CBFV/baseline CBFV ratio was higher with ticagrelor than prasugrel at 50, 80, and 110 μg/kg per minute but not at 140 μg/kg per minute adenosine infusion rate, with mean difference (95% confidence interval) of 0.17 (0.08-0.26; P<0.001), 0.21 (0.02-0.41; P=0.03), 0.24 (0.01-0.47; P=0.04), and 0.14 (-0.12 to 0.4; P=0.3), respectively.
Conclusions: In patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, ticagrelor augments CBFV to a greater extent than prasugrel when incremental doses of adenosine are administered. Although exploratory, these results may represent a pleiotropic action of ticagrelor, possibly contributing to its beneficial effects in such patients.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01642966.
Keywords: P2Y12 receptor; acute coronary syndrome; adenosine; prasugrel; ticagrelor.