Blood, 1961, Vol. 17, No. 6, pp. 767-774.
© 1961 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
A Review: The Platelet as a Sponge: A Review
EDWARD ADELSON 1,
JACK J. RHEINGOLD 1, and
WILLIAM H. CROSBY 1
1 Department of Medicine, George Washington University Medical School,
Washington, D. C., and the Department of Hematology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D. C.
This paper summarizes the evidence in favor of the theory that many of the
platelet’s factors are adsorbed onto its surface from the plasma. It is suggested
that this ability of the platelet is one of its basic functions. The platelet adsorbs
coagulation and perhaps vascular factors on its surface and carries them
through the circulation to the area where they are needed most—at the site
of vessel wall injury. This adsorption by the platelet may be an active
rather than a passive process, since it requires the expenditure of energy
and since it continues only so long as the platelet is viable. In those diseases in
which there is marked abnormality of the plasma proteins, there is evidence to
suggest that associated coagulation and hemostatic defects may be due to
interference with this "atmosphère plasmatique."
Submitted on May 19, 1960
Accepted on March 3, 1961
