The inhibitory effect of etafenone hydrochloride (etafenone) on platelet aggregation in rabbit platelet rich plasma and the involvement of the arachidonic acid (AA) cascade in the inhibitory mechanism for etafenone on platelet aggregation were studied. 1) Etafenone exhibited a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on collagen (15--20 micrograms/ml)-induced platelet aggregation, and its median inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 1.7 X 10(-5)M. 2) In ADP (20 microM)-induced aggregation, etafenone also exhibited a dose-dependent inhibitory effect, but its IC50 was 2.7 X 10(-4)M and was significantly higher than that in the case of collagen. 3) Etafenone inhibited AA (0.3--0.5mM)-induced platelet aggregation dose-dependently. Its IC50 was 2.8 X 10(-5)M. 4) In thromboxane (TX) A2-induced aggregation, etafenone exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition, and the IC50 was 3.2 X 10(-4)M. 5) Trapidil which was reported to inhibit platelet aggregation via phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibition had a similar IC50 on ADP- and TXA2-induced platelet aggregation to that of etafenone, but in collagen- and AA-induced aggregation, its IC50 was higher than that of etafenone. 6) Etafenone (3 X 10(-6)--3 X 10(-4)M) dose-dependently inhibited the production of TXB2 in PRP induced by collagen. 7) Etafenone scarcely affected TXA2 synthetase activity in rabbit platelet homogenate. 8) The correlation between the inhibitory effect of etafenone on platelet aggregation and inhibition of AA metabolism activation and PDE inhibition was discussed.