ITGA2B and myocardial infarction: In myocardial infarction, the platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb of the IIb/IIIa complex is activated, and accelerates platelet aggregation and thrombosis by acting as a receptor for fibrinogen; conversely, inhibition of the GP IIb/IIIa complex has been shown to ameliorate the outcome of cardiac ischemia [27, 39].