A new platelet preservative

A new platelet preservative, ViaCyte trade mark (balanced salt solution, physiological buffer, D-ribose, bovine serum albumin, D-glucose, sterile water) was tested against the presently used storage solution (citrate-phosphate-dextrose; CPD) and results revealed that ViaCyte demonstrated added protection for platelets during storage-induced activation. Following five days of storage at room temperature, only 12.2% of platelets stored in ViaCyte exhibited P-selectin expression at rest and, upon thrombin challenge, 64.2% were activated, an increase of 42%. In control platelets (platelets stored in CDP), 44.4% were activated due to storage-induced lesions, and thrombin stimulation resulted in 47.9% P-selectin expression, an increase of only 2.5%. ViaCyte storage maintained the resting state and preserved platelet function, making more platelets available for activation upon agonist challenge. This preliminary study demonstrated that the presently used standard preservative does not offer protection from storage-induced lesions. Partially dysfunctional platelets do not contribute significantly to hemostasis in vivo and play little role, if any, in clot retraction and wound healing processes.