Effect of moderate wine consumption on the activity of enzymes involved in platelet-activating factor metabolism and thrombotic biomarkers: a randomised, single-blind, parallel, clinical study in CHD men patients

A randomised parallel intervention study was conducted with male patients diagnosed with CHD. Participants were assigned to three groups: Group A abstained from alcohol (<i>n</i> 20), Group B consumed red wine (<i>n</i> 21) and Group C (<i>n</i> 16) consumed an alcoholic beverage without wine micro-constituents. Biological samples were collected at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks. Enzyme activities of acetyl-CoA:lyso-platelet-activating factor (PAF) acetyltransferase, cytidine 5'-diphospho (CDP)-choline:1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol cholinephosphotransferase (PAF-cholinephosphotransferase), PAF-acetylhydrolase in leukocyte homogenates, serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase-A₂ and plasma markers of thrombosis were measured. PAF-, ADP- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation was measured in human platelet-rich plasma. Red wine consumption led to a 15·3 % reduction in LysoPAF-acetyltransferase activity at 4 weeks (<i>P</i>= 0·008) compared with baseline and Group A (<i>P</i>= 0·01). PAF-cholinephosphotransferase activity was reduced by 11·1 % at 8 weeks (<i>P</i>= 0·04) compared with baseline and by 24·9 % compared with Group C (<i>P</i>= 0·02). PAF-acetylhydrolase activity was reduced by 36·2 % at 8 weeks compared with baseline (<i>P</i>= 0·001) and compared with Group A (<i>P</i>< 0·000) and Group C (<i>P</i>= 0·009). Fibrinogen levels in Group B reduced by 6-9 % at 4 (<i>P</i>= 0·04) and 8 weeks (<i>P</i>= 0·01) compared with baseline while D-dimer in Group C increased by 16·1 % at 8 weeks (<i>P</i>= 0·005) compared with baseline. Platelet aggregation against PAF and collagen was reduced in Group B (82·6 and 35·4 %, respectively), and in Group C (158·4 and 37·1 %, respectively) compared with baseline and Group A (<i>P</i>< 0·05). In conclusion, moderate wine consumption improved the activity of PAF-metabolism enzymes regardless of ethanol and reduced platelet aggregation, probably through mechanisms different from those of ethanol.