[Contact interactions of spreading thrombocytes]

Contact interactions of rabbit platelets was studied in the course of their spreading over the siliconized glass surface. When the density of cells adhered to the substratum surface is high enough, the platelets are spreading in such a way that their edges are in a close proximity, while the overlapping of cells is very rare and scarcely pronounced. A morphometric analysis of the probability of such an organization of platelets at their random and independent disposition on the substratum proves the existence of a contact inhibition of platelets spreading on the substratum. Thus, a phenomenon of the contact inhibition seems to be a common feature not only of large nucleated cells but also of small anuclear platelets.