Elevated Levels of Procoagulant Microvesicles and Tissue-Factor Bearing Microvesicles in Malaria Patients

Abstract

Background: Procoagulant microvesicles (MVs) are submicron membrane fragments released from activated cells and cells undergoing apoptosis. The procoagulant activity of MVs is enhanced in the presence of tissue factor (TF). MVs and TF are active mediators that induce pro-inflammatory response and prothrombotic tendency and have been linked to the severity of several disorders, including malaria infection. The current study aimed to measure the levels of circulating procoagulant MVs and TF-bearing MVs in malaria patients and correlate these levels with other hematological parameters and parasitemia. Materials and Methods: Levels of MVs and TF-bearing MVs in the plasma of children and adult patients infected with Plasmodium falciparum were measured alongside matched healthy controls. Results: Patients with Plasmodium falciparum infection had ~3.8 times MVs (p < 0.0001) and ~13.0 times TF-bearing MVs compared to the matched healthy controls. MVs showed inverse significant correlation with platelet count (p = 0.0055), hemoglobin (p = 0.0004) and parasitemia. Conclusion: Elevated levels of MVs and TF-bearing MVs could be useful biomarkers to evaluate the procoagulant activity, inflammatory response and parasitemia levels in malaria infection, aiding in better management of the disease.

Engineered Extracellular Vesicles in Chronic Kidney Diseases: A Comprehensive Review

“… 13 In contrast, microvesicles, somewhat larger with a size ranging from 100–1000 nanometers, diverge from the endosomal exosome biogenesis route. 14 Instead, they are directly shed from the plasma membrane of cells, carrying a rich cargo of proteins, lipids, and genetic material. Furthermore, within this diverse landscape of EVs, apoptotic bodies occupy their niche, emerging from cells undergoing programmed cell death, known as apoptosis.…”