Cell-derived microparticles in haemostasis and vascular medicine

Abstract

SummaryConsiderable interest for cell-derived microparticles has emerged, pointing out their essential role in haemostatic response and their potential as disease markers, but also their implication in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. They derive from different cell types including plateletsthe main source of microparticles -but also from red blood cells, leukocytes and endothelial cells, and they circulate in blood. Despite difficulties encountered in analyzing them and Keywords Microparticle, ectosome, haemostasis, vascular pathologies disparities of results obtained with a wide range of methods, microparticle generation processes are now better understood. However, a generally admitted definition of microparticles is currently lacking. For all these reasons we decided to review the literature regarding microparticles in their widest definition, including ectosomes and exosomes, and to focus mainly on their role in haemostasis and vascular medicine.

The clinical significance of platelet microparticle-associated microRNAs

“…Platelet MP-derived microRNAs may thus function outside of platelets and play an important role in micro-RNA transfer, intercellular signaling and gene expression programming across the entire circulatory system [71].…”

Endothelium, venous thromboembolism and ischaemic cardiovascular events

“…In particular, acute reactions to infectious agents are associated with an increased risk of both arterial ischaemic events and VTE and are accompanied by both arterial and venous endothelial dysfunction (40,43,44); increased circulating levels of some biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction, like endothelial microparticles or P-selectin, are associated with both an enhanced risk of cardiovascular events and of VTE (45)(46)(47); recent data have shown in patients with VTE an increase of circulating fibronectin, an endothelium-released plasma factor previously shown to correlate with arterial endothelial dysfunction (48,49); several other clinical conditions characterised by an impaired arterial endothelial function, like airpollution, chronic HIV infection, a family history of myocardial infarction, the metabolic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and microalbuminuria, have been reported to be associated not only with an increased risk of arterial events but also of venous thrombosis (12,14,16,19,21,22,(50)(51)(52).…”

Release of pro-coagulant microparticles after moderate endurance exercise

“…Furthermore, MP bear cell-specific antigens enabling them to interact with a variety of target cells. Thus, MP can be considered as intercellular signal transferring entities [5,6]. Low levels of circulating MP, mainly derived from platelets, are also present in healthy individuals but their functional relevance in haemostasis and inflammation is not well understood [7].…”