Divergent Effects of Serotonin on Coronary-Artery Dimensions and Blood Flow in Patients with Coronary Atherosclerosis and Control Patients

Abstract

Serotonin has a vasodilating effect on normal human coronary arteries; when the endothelium is damaged, as in coronary artery disease, serotonin has a direct, unopposed vasoconstricting effect. When considered with other evidence, these data suggest that platelet-derived factors such as serotonin may have a role in certain acute coronary ischemic syndromes.