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12. Measurement of the Platelet Procoagulant Response
Abstract
Platelets play a dual role in the normal hemostatic process. Injury of a vessel wall causes exposure of structural elements such as collagen that will trap platelets circulating in the blood. This initiates two processes, which occur simultaneously, resulting in formation of a stable thrombus. Adhesion and subsequent activation of platelets, achieved through various ligand-receptor interactions, will cause platelets to clump at the site of injury, thus forming a physical barrier to prevent further blood loss. The primary platelet aggregate thus formed is consolidated by a network of fibrin, the end product of blood coagulation. The latter process involves a cascade of enzymatic reactions, several of which are localized on and strongly enhanced by the presence of a suitable phospholipid surface. This procoagulant phospholipid surface is provided mainly by platelets activated in such a way as to expose anionic phospholipids, in particular phosphatidylserine (PS) (1,2). The thrombin that is produced as a result of the coagulation process is also a potent platelet-activating agonist. Accordingly, it is widely recognized that the processes of platelet activation and coagulation are strongly interacting and mutually dependent (3).
Affiliation(s): (3) Department of Biochemistry, CARIM, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Series: Methods in Molecular Biology  |  Volume: 272  |  Pub. Date: Jul-01-2004  |  Page Range: 135-144  |  DOI: 10.1385/1-59259-782-3:135
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