The use of the Baumgartner perfusion system allows the morphometric quantification of platelets interacting with vessel wall, however it presents the basic difficulties of morphometrical measurements. In order to facilitate the procedure of evaluation we developed a semiautomated method to avoid the complexity of the classical evaluation. Our system consists on an optical picture analysis system connected with a specially developed computer program which allows fast quantification. Simultaneously to the outlining of interacting platelets the computer program recognizes, corrects, selects and stores the information, in order to perform the final calculations as previously established. This system has been demonstrated to be as effective as the classical morphometric evaluation in the measure of platelets interacting with subendothelium. Potential sources of error such as subjectivity of the observers in selecting the class of interacting platelets are avoided. The use of this combined method opens the possibility to adapt the Baumgartner perfusion system to clinical routine and to the screening of drugs that modify platelet adherence.

Plasmin-treated human purified factor VIII prepared from normal and afibrinogenemia plasmas inhibits the ADP-induced aggregation and the collagen-induced 14C serotonin release of normal and von Willebrand human platelet rich plasmas (PRP). These results reconfirm the fact that the inhibition of the human platelet function by the effect of plasmin on the plasmatic protein is mainly linked to the digested factor VIII but not to the fibrinogen,fact that we had previously proved when ADP-induced aggregation of normal washed platelets was inhibited by plasmin-treated normal human serum,but not by plasmin-treated von Willebrand plasma. The factor VIII breakdown products were revealed by crossed immunoelectrophoresis,sepharose 4B chromatography and SDS Polyacrylamide electrophoresis.The defective ADP-induced aggregation that we have observed in PRP from patients between the 8th and the 24th hour of thrombolithic treatment,is only due to the proteolithic effect of plasmin on the plasmatic factor VIII and not to a direct action of the plasmin on the platelet membrane,since washed platelets from these patients aggregate normally by ADP with normal platelet poor plasma(PPP),and the collagen-induced 14C serotonin release is also correct.

No abstract

The phlogistic actions of six molecular species of platelet-activating factor (PAF) (1-O-alkyl-PAF homologs, 16:0-, 18:0- and 18:1-alkyl-PAF, 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (AGEPC) and their respective 1-acyl-PAF analog counterparts, 16:0-, 18:0- and 18:1-acyl-PAF, 1-acyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (AGPC)) were assessed relative to five human neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) functional responses: 1) lysosomal enzyme secretion; 2) specific desensitization to 16:0-AGEPC-induced lysosomal enzyme secretion; 3) O2- production; 4) chemotaxis; and 5) priming for enhanced O2- production. With respect to inducing lysozyme secretion, 18:0-AGEPC was 30- and 75-fold less potent than 16:0-AGEPC and 18:1-AGEPC, respectively, and was 25- and 40-fold less potent for inducing beta-glucuronidase secretion. 18:0-AGEPC was also 10-fold less active than 18:1- and 16:0-AGEPC for inducing O2- production. Thus, the rank order of potency of the alkyl-PAF homologs for inducing both lysosomal enzyme secretion and O2- production was 18:1- greater than or equal to 16:0- much greater than 18:0-AGEPC. In contrast, these three alkyl-PAF homologs had the same potency for desensitizing PMN to subsequent 16:0-AGEPC-induced lysosomal enzyme secretion and for priming PMN for augmented O2- production in response to FMLP or human recombinant C5a. Paradoxically, however, the rank order of potency of the alkyl-PAF homologs for effecting PMN chemotaxis was 18:0- greater than 18:1- much greater than 16:0-AGEPC. At concentrations as high as 1.0 microM, the acyl-PAF analogs did not initiate PMN lysosomal enzyme secretion, O2- production, or chemotaxis. However, the acyl-PAF analogs induced partial PMN desensitization to 16:0-AGEPC. A novel finding of potential (patho)-physiologic significance was the ability of acyl-PAF at nM concentrations to prime PMN for significantly enhanced O2- production after stimulation with FMLP or human recombinant C5a. The priming action of acyl-PAF was due to an increase in the rate as opposed to a prolongation of O2- production. The differing rank orders of potency of the alkyl-PAF homologs and acyl-PAF analogs for stimulating several physiologic responses of the same target cell, the human PMN, support the premise that there may be more than one PAF receptor subtype on the PMN and/or that differences in the biophysical properties of the various molecular species of PAF modulate their interaction with PAF receptor(s) linked to stimulus-response coupling.

Defective ADP-induced platelet aggregation has been observed in patients treated with streptokinase. This same effect appears “in vitro” when adding SK to platelet rich plasma (PRP). Classic hemophilia and normal platelet poor plasmas (PPP) treated with SK inhibit the aggregation of washed platelets; plasmin-treated normal human serum also shows an inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation. However, von Willebrand SK-treated plasmas do not inhibit the aggregation of washed platelets. The same results appear when plasmas are previously treated with a rabbit antibody to human factor VIII.This confirms that the antiaggregating effect is mainly linked to the digested factor VIII related antigen.The inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation has been proved in gel filtration-isolated and washed platelets from SK-treated PRP.Defective ristocetin-induced platelet aggregation has also been observed- This action does not appear in washed platelets from SK-treated PRP in presence of normal PPP, but it does in presence of SK-treated PPP, which suggests that the inhibition of the ristocetin-induced aggregation is due to the lack of factor VIII and not to the factor VIII-related products.Heparin, either “in vivo” or “in vitro”, has corrected the antiaggregating effect of SK.