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MA Packham, MA Guccione and KM O'Brien
The controversy concerning the relationship between platelet buoyant
density and platelet age is unresolved. Our earlier results with rabbit
platelets indicate that the most-dense subpopulations are enriched in young
platelets and that some platelets become less dense as they age. Other
investigators have concluded that platelets either do not change in density
upon aging or become more dense. In the present experiments, rabbit
platelets were separated on discontinuous gradients of Stractan. Most-dense
platelets synthesized significantly more thromboxane B2 (TXB2) (1.27 ng per
10(6) platelets) in response to thrombin (0.75 U/mL) than did least-dense
platelets (0.70 ng per 10(6) platelets), indicating that the arachidonate
pathway in most-dense platelets is more active than in least-dense
platelets. After aspirin administration to rabbits, most-dense platelets
recovered their ability to synthesize thromboxane B2 significantly more
quickly than did least-dense platelets. Because the platelet cyclooxygenase
that is responsible for TXB2 formation is permanently inhibited by aspirin,
it is only the new platelets entering the circulation that will be able to
form TXB2. These results indicate that, at least in rabbits, the most-dense
platelets are enriched in young platelets, and that platelets decrease in
density as they age in the circulation.
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| Copyright © 1985 by American Society of Hematology Online ISSN: 1528-0020 | |||||||||