Anticoagulants and dentistry
Anti-platelet drug mechanisms
Platelets
The principal function of platelets is to prevent bleeding. They stick to damaged blood vessel surfaces, and then stick to each other. Along with a protein called Fibrin which creates a mat, they form a clot.
Anti-platelet drug mechanisms
Aspirin
COX-1 (cyclo-oxygenase-1) is an enzyme is necessary to generate a potent platelet activator called thromboxane A2, which stimulates activation of new platelets as well as increasing platelet aggregation.
Aspirin works as an antiplatelet agent by irreversibly blocking COX-1 inside the platelets. This results in reduced platelet aggregation, and prevents new platelets being activated.
Clopidogrel
Clopidogrel belongs to a class of drugs which are called adenosine diphosphate (ADP)