TOJC
maferaja@PLU.edu
Tue, 17 Sep 1996 12:53:56 -0800 (PST)
In the lab manual it explains how ASA (aspirin) blocks prostaglandin
synthesis by attaching an acetyl group to the active site of the
cyclooxygenase...OK, kinda boring...
A practical use of this info however, comes from the modern emergency
treatment of heart attack patients. It used to be that ASA would be given
to patients AFTER a heart attack (see the bottom of page 65 in the lab
manual for journal reference).
In the last few years, however, it has been proven that ASA given in
the early hours of a heart attack has thrombolytic ("clot-busting") properties that rival some $2000 drugs
given to cardiac patients in the ICU.