AET-treated platelets: their usefulness for platelet antibody detection and
an examination of their altered sensitivity to immune lysis
PL Cimo and SA Gerber
2-Aminoethylisothiouronium bromide (AET) increases the sensitivity of blood
cells to complement-mediated immune lysis. We compared the sensitivities of
untreated or AET-treated platelets to immune lysis induced by different
types of platelet antibody in the 51Cr platelet lysis test. AET platelets
were 8-16 times more sensitive to autoantibody and alloantibody, but 8-16
times less sensitive to drug- dependent antibody. AET-platelets bound
similar amounts of alloantibody but less drug-dependent antibody, and they
lysed at higher complement dilutions than did untreated platelets.
AET-platelets detected 10 of 25 autoantibodies, 9 of 9 alloantibodies, and
5 of 8 drug-dependent antibodies. Untreated platelets detected 1 of 25, 6
of 9, and 7 of 8 of these respective platelet antibodies. The use of
AET-platelets in the 51Cr platelet lysis test increases its sensitivity for
detecting non- drug-dependent platelet antibodies. AET-platelets resemble
paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) platelets in their enhanced
sensitivity to complement-mediated lysis. They differ from PNH platelets in
their insensitivity to immune lysis induced by drug-dependent antibodies
and, in this respect, are similar to Bernard-Soulier syndrome platelets.
Volume 54,
Issue 5,
pp. 1101-1108,
11/01/1979
Copyright © 1979 by The American Society of Hematology
