11-Dehydro-TxB2 and 2,3-dinor-TxB2 are products of the two major pathways of thromboxane metabolism in man. In this study we compared urinary excretion of 2,3-dinor-TxB2 and 11-dehydro-TxB2 as indices of Tx biosynthesis in vivo. We performed three studies to assess i) the relative abundance of these two metabolites in the urine of healthy subjects, ii) their cellular origin under physiological conditions and iii) their relative formation during platelet activation. In healthy normal volunteers urinary 11-dehydro-TxB2 is more abundant than 2,3-dinor-TxB2 (792 +/- 119 pg/mg creatinine vs 106 +/- 21 pg/mg creatinine). Administration of a dose of aspirin selective for platelet cyclooxygenase (20 mg/day for 10 days) caused substantial and comparable suppression of both 11-dehydro-TxB2 (mean 82 +/- 4.9%) and 2,3-dinor-TxB2 (mean 79 +/- 6.9%). recovery of excretion of both metabolites after a nonselective aspirin regimen (325 mg BID for 3 days) corresponded to platelet life-span. Furthermore, excretion of both metabolites was increased in patients with severe atherosclerosis consistent with the known increase in platelet activation in this setting. Quantitative analysis of both urinary 11-dehydro-TxB2 and 2,3-dinor-TxB2 by GC-MS established that, in contrast to previous assumptions, 11-dehydro-TxB2 is the most abundant urinary metabolite of TxB2. The aspirin study demonstrates that platelets are the major source of both metabolites in urine, consistent with their increased excretion in severe atherosclerosis. Combined analysis of both metabolites will distinguish altered metabolism from increased biosynthesis of thromboxane A2.