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Treatment of Platelet Products with Riboflavin and UV Light: Effectiveness Against High Titer Bacterial Contamination
Published on: August 24, 2015
Cell viability during platelet storage in correlation to cellular metabolism after different pathogen reduction
Susanne M Picker1, Volker Schneider, Larissa Oustianskaia
1Transfusion Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. susanne.picker@uk-koeln.de
Transfusion
|July 24, 2009
Summary
Pathogen reduction technologies (PRTs) impact platelet viability. Riboflavin-UVB (M) enhanced metabolism, while psoralen-UVA (I) impaired mitochondrial respiration, reducing platelet ATP and viability.
Area of Science:
- Blood banking and transfusion medicine
- Biotechnology and bioprocessing
- Cellular metabolism and viability
Background:
- Platelet (PLT) storage and viability are critical in transfusion medicine.
- Pathogen reduction technologies (PRTs) are used to improve blood product safety.
- The impact of PRTs on PLT metabolism and viability requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of PRTs on platelet viability.
- To determine if PRTs alter platelet metabolism during storage.
- To compare the effects of two different PRTs: riboflavin-UVB (M) and psoralen-UVA (I).
Main Methods:
- Apheresis platelets were treated with riboflavin-UVB (M), psoralen-UVA (I), or left untreated (C).
- Samples were analyzed on multiple storage days (0, 1, 5, 7, 8).
- Assays included annexin V release, mitochondrial activity (MTS), mitochondrial potential (Deltapsi), pH, pO(2), glucose, lactate, and ATP content.
Main Results:
- All PRT-treated units showed increased acidity and annexin V release compared to controls.
- The psoralen-UVA (I) treatment significantly impacted pH, annexin V release, and Deltapsi over storage.
- I-treated platelets exhibited impaired oxidative respiration, leading to lower ATP levels and reduced viability, while M-treated platelets showed increased glycolytic flux and oxidative phosphorylation.
Conclusions:
- Riboflavin-UVB (M) PRT enhanced platelet glycolytic flux and oxidative phosphorylation.
- Psoralen-UVA (I) PRT impaired mitochondrial respiration, compromising ATP levels and cell viability.
- Further studies are needed to assess the clinical implications of these findings for platelet storage and use.

