Effect of neutrophil adhesion on the size of aggregates formed by agonist-activated platelets

In this study we have investigated the effect of human neutrophil on agonist-induced platelet aggregation by using the laser-light scattering method that can detect a two-phase process, formation of small aggregates followed by large aggregate formation. When nonstimulated neutrophils were added to agonist-stimulated platelet-rich plasma (PRP), the large platelet aggregates were decreased and the small ones were increased by using either collagen, thrombin or ADP as agonist. Scanning-electron microscopic observation showed marked adhesion of neutrophil to aggregated platelets. The supernatant from neutrophils cell lysate (neutrophil supernatant) showed inhibitory effect similar to that with intact neutrophils, suggesting that the inhibitory effect by neutrophils was due to soluble component(s) including proteases released from neutrophils adhered to activated platelets. We have examined the effect of inhibition of a major released protease, elastase. The addition of its potent inhibitor elafin to intact neutrophils or the neutrophil supernatant changed their antiaggregating activity. The treatment of platelets with genistein, an inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinase, decreased agonist-induced large aggregates and increased small ones, suggesting that certain protein tyrosine kinase would be involved in the transition from small to large platelet aggregates. It was also shown that the tyrosine phosphorylation induced by agonist stimulation of several high molecular-weight proteins of platelets was inhibited by coincubation with neutrophils, concurrent with increases in smaller phosphorylated proteins. In washed platelets, coincubation with neutrophils resulted in reduced formation of large aggregates when stimulated with collagen or thrombin and repressed agonist-induced activation of tyrosine protein kinases (Syk, Lyn, Src, and Pyk2), but not thrombin-induced ERK and p38 MAP kinase. These results suggest that the cleavage of platelet membrane glycoproteins at least in part by elastase which was released from neutrophils, is involved in the inhibition of the transition from small to large platelet aggregates.