Adenine and guanine nucleotide metabolism during platelet storage at 22
degrees C
CM Edenbrandt and S Murphy
Cardeza Foundation for Hematologic Research, Jefferson Medical College,
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Adenine and guanine nucleotide metabolism of platelet concentrates (PCs)
was studied during storage for transfusion at 22 +/- 2 degrees C over a
7-day period using high-pressure liquid chromatography. There was a steady
decrease in platelet adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine diphosphate
(ADP), which was balanced quantitatively by an increase in plasma
hypoxanthine. As expected, ammonia accumulated along with hypoxanthine but
at a far greater rate. A fall in platelet guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and
guanosine diphosphate (GDP) paralleled the fall in ATP + ADP. When adenine
was present in the primary anticoagulant, it was carried over into the PC
and metabolized. ATP, GTP, total adenine nucleotides, and total guanine
nucleotides declined more slowly in the presence of adenine than in its
absence. With adenine, the increase in hypoxanthine concentration was more
rapid and quantitatively balanced the decrease in adenine and platelet ATP
+ ADP. Plasma xanthine rose during storage but at a rate that exceeded the
decline in GTP + GDP. When platelet ATP + ADP was labeled with 14C- adenine
at the initiation of storage, half of the radioactivity was transferred to
hypoxanthine (45%) and GTP + GDP + xanthine (5%) by the time storage was
completed. The isotopic data were consistent with the presence of a
radioactive (metabolic) and a nonradioactive (storage) pool of ATP + ADP at
the initiation of storage with each pool contributing approximately equally
to the decline in ATP + ADP during storage. The results suggested a
continuing synthesis of GTP + GDP from ATP + ADP, explaining the slower
rate of fall of GTP + GDP relative to the rate of rise of plasma xanthine.
Throughout storage, platelets were able to incorporate 14C-hypoxanthine
into both adenine and guanine nucleotides but at a rate that was only one
fourth the rate of hypoxanthine accumulation. All of these data should be
helpful in improving the function and viability of PC as currently stored
for 5 days, in devising methods for storage beyond 5 days, and in the
development of synthetic media for PC storage.
Volume 76,
Issue 9,
pp. 1884-1892,
11/01/1990
Copyright © 1990 by The American Society of Hematology
