The receptor EP3 to PGE2: A rational target to prevent atherothrombosis without inducing bleeding

The prostanoid E2 (PGE2) is known to modulate the aggregative response of platelets to their conventional agonists such as ADP, TXA2, thrombin or collagen. Through the activation of its receptor EP3, PGE2 sensitizes platelets to their agonists but also inhibits them through its two other receptors, EP2 and EP4. In mice, the net result of these opposed actions is the EP3-mediated potentiation of platelet aggregation and the in vivo aggravation of murine atherothrombosis. Since the pathway PGE2/EP3 is not involved in murine hemostasis, we propose a “platelet EP3 paradigm” to describe this apparently paradoxical association between the facilitating impact on atherothrombosis and the unaltered hemostasis. Consistent with this paradigm, a drug blocking EP3 dramatically decreased atherothrombosis without inducing bleeding in mice. In humans, several studies did not agree on the effect of PGE2 on platelets. Reinterpreting these data with the notion of “potentiation window” and taking the platelet initial cAMP level into account reconciled these inconsistent results. Thereby, the in vitro potentiating effect of PGE2 on human platelets becomes clear. In addition, the EP3 blocking drug DG-041 abrogated the potentiating effect of PGE2 in whole human blood but did not prolong bleeding times in volunteers. Thus, the murine “platelet EP3 paradigm” would apply to humans if the aggravating role of PGE2 on atherothrombosis is shown in patients. Therefore, testing an EP3 blocker in a phase III trial would be of high interest to fulfill the unmet medical need which is to control atherothrombosis without impacting hemostasis and thus to improve the prevention of myocardial infarction.