Role of Von Willebrand Factor after Injury: It May Do More Than We Think

Acute traumatic coagulopathy is a complex phenomenon following injury and a main contributor to hemorrhage. It remains a leading cause of preventable death in trauma patients. This phenomenon is initiated by systemic injury to the vascular endothelium that is exacerbated by hypoperfusion, acidosis, and hypothermia and leads to systemic activation of the coagulation cascades and resultant coagulopathy. Many previous studies have focused on endotheliopathy with targeted markers such as syndecan-1, soluble thrombomodulin, and plasma adrenaline as potential culprits for initiation and propagation of this state. However, in more recent studies, hyperadhesive von Willebrand factor (VWF), which is released following endothelial injury, and its cleaving metalloprotease ADAMTS13 have emerged as significant targets of the downstream effect of endothelial breakdown and coagulation dysregulation. Elucidation of the mechanism by which the dysregulated VWF-ADAMTS13 axis leads to endothelial dysfunction and coagulopathy after trauma can help identify new targets for therapy and sites for intervention. Much of what is known mechanistically regarding VWF stems from work done in traumatic brain injury. Following localized brain injury, brain-derived extracellular vesicles are released into circulation where they induce a hypercoagulable state that rapidly turns into consumptive coagulopathy. VWF released from injured endothelial cells binds to these extracellular vesicles to enhance their activity in promoting coagulopathy and increasing endothelial permeability. However, there are numerous gaps in our knowledge of VWF following injury, providing a platform for further investigation.