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Updated: Dec 18, 2025

A Uniform Shear Assay for Human Platelet and Cell Surface Receptors via Cone-plate Viscometry
Published on: June 5, 2019
Platelet activation via dynamic conformational changes of von Willebrand factor under shear
Denis M Pushin1,2, Tatiana Y Salikhova2, Ksenia E Zlobina1
1National Research Center for Hematology, Moscow, Russia.
Abstract:
Shear-induced conformational changes of von Willebrand factor (VWF) play an important role in platelet activation. A novel approach describing VWF unfolding on the platelet surface under dynamic shear stress is proposed. Cumulative effect of dynamic shear on platelet activation via conformational changes of VWF is analysed. The critical condition of shear-induced platelet activation is formulated. The explicit expression for the threshold value of cumulative shear stress as a function of VWF multimer size is derived. The results open novel prospects for pharmacological regulation of shear-induced platelet activation through control of VWF multimers size distribution.
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