Platelet-rich plasma and platelet gel preparation using Plateltex

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Hematology

Background:

• Platelet gel, a combination of concentrated platelets and fibrin, is increasingly used in clinical treatments and tissue engineering.
• Several systems exist for producing platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for topical use.
• The Plateltex system is a new commercially available option for PRP production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the technical performance of the Plateltex system.
• To compare Plateltex with other commercially available PRP systems (PRGF, PRP-Landesber, Curasan, PCCS, Harvest, Vivostat, Regen, Fibrinet).
• To assess key parameters including yield, efficiency, and growth factor content.

Main Methods:

• PRP and gel preparation followed manufacturer's instructions using blood from 20 donors.
• Measurements included yield, collection efficiency, and levels of PDGF-AB, TGF-beta, VEGF, and FGF.
• Batroxobin-induced gelation characteristics were evaluated.

Main Results:

• Plateltex demonstrated yield, collection efficiency, and growth factor content comparable to most other systems.
• Gelation time was independent of fibrinogen concentration but significantly influenced by container surface area (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

• Plateltex offers platelet recovery and growth factor availability similar to other marketed systems.
• Batroxobin, used in Plateltex, differs from thrombin (used in other systems) by not activating platelets, leading to slower growth factor release.
• This slow-release mechanism may provide prolonged availability of trophic factors, potentially advantageous in specific clinical scenarios.