A paper of Paola Patrignani's group (SPaTT Lab) has been accepted today for publication on Pharmacological Research. The title is "Low-dose Aspirin prevents hypertension and cardiac fibrosis when thromboxane A₂ is unrestrained" and the first co-authors are Ilaria D'Agostino, Stefania Tacconelli, and Annalisa Bruno. This study was carried out in collaboration with John Hwa (Yale School of Medicine, USA) and Luciana Mucci and Raffaele Landolfi (Catholic University, Italy). The authors enlightened the contribution of thromboxane A₂ (TXA₂) from platelets in the development of hypertension and cardiac fibrosis. This pathway was relevant in increasing blood pressure and early events of cardiac fibrosis when the protective effects of prostacyclin (PGI₂) and its receptor (named IP) are lost; it occurs in the contest of endothelial damage/dysfunction or by the treatment with COX-2 inhibitors. This study extends the cardio-protection spectrum of low-dose aspirin. The drug acts by inhibiting the production of the pressor, profibrotic, and prothrombotic thromboxane A₂ while sparing the antithrombotic and vasodepressor prostacyclin.