To investigate whether altered megakaryocyte morphology contributes to reduced platelet production in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), ultrastructural analysis of megakaryocytes was performed in 11 ITP patients. Ultrastructural abnormalities compatible with (para-)apoptosis were present in 78% ؎ 14% of ITP megakaryocytes, which could be reversed by in vivo treatment with prednisone and intravenous immunoglobulin. Immunohistochemistry of bone marrow biopsies of ITP patients with extensive apoptosis showed an increased number of megakaryocytes with activated caspase-3 com-
IntroductionIdiopathic, or immune, thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by isolated thrombocytopenia in an otherwise healthy person. The thrombocytopenia in ITP is caused by accelerated platelet destruction due to the action of antiplatelet immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies that bind to antigens on the platelet cell membrane. The platelets are subsequently destroyed by tissue macrophages, predominantly in the spleen. 1 As a result of the accelerated destruction, platelet survival is usually greatly shortened and platelet production is thought to be compensatorily increased. 2,3 However, there is also evidence that platelet production can be impaired in ITP. This was demonstrated in platelet kinetic studies using radiolabeled platelets. [4][5][6] The reduced platelet production rate might be mediated by the action of antiplatelet antibodies, which can bind to megakaryocytes in the bone marrow. [7][8][9] Recent in vitro studies support this concept showing that human megakaryocyte colony formation and proplatelet formation is inhibited 10 and that a reduced expansion of megakaryocytic progenitors can be observed especially in the presence of certain antiplatelet glycoprotein antibodies. 11 However, despite the evidence of a reduced platelet production in several ITP patients, numbers of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow are usually normal or increased. 6 This is compatible with the finding that plasma thrombopoietin (TPO) levels in ITP patients are not significantly different from healthy controls, indicating that the total megakaryocytic mass has not been changed in ITP. Investigating the relationship between thrombokinetic parameters and the glycocalicin index (GCI), a parameter of platelet destruction, 12 we recently demonstrated that there is an inverse correlation between the platelet production rate and the GCI. 13 These results suggest that despite the normal number of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow an increased destruction of platelets and/or megakaryocytes might occur. These findings support the concept of ineffective thrombopoiesis in the bone marrow. To investigate whether apoptosis or other forms of programmed cell death are responsible for this ineffective thrombopoiesis, we examined the ultrastructure of bone marrow megakaryocytes from ITP patients with electron microscopy. The results demonstrate that, independent of the refractoriness of ITP to therapy, in all patients most bone ma...