Adhesive properties of plasma-circulating and platelet-derived microvesicles from healthy individuals

Microvesicles (MVs) produced by platelets upon activation possess high procoagulant activity and represent a possible thrombotic risk marker. However, direct experimental evaluation of the adhesive properties of MVs and their potential role in thrombus growth is lacking.

We investigated integrin α_IIbβ₃ status and adhesive properties of plasma-circulating and platelet-derived MVs from healthy individuals.

MVs were isolated from whole blood or produced from activated platelets. Flow cytometry was used for quantification of fluorescently labeled PAC-1 and fibrinogen binding to MVs. Confocal microscopy was used for evaluation of MVs adhesion to fibrinogen and for estimation of their involvement in whole blood thrombus formation in a parallel-plate flow chambers under arterial shear conditions.

Neither circulating plasma MVs, nor platelet-activation-produced MVs bound PAC-1. However, both types of MVs specifically and weakly bound fibrinogen (about 400 molecules of bound fibrinogen per MV versus >100,000 per non-procoagulant activated platelet). Still, the MVs did not adhere stably to the immobilized fibrinogen. Both types of MVs were weakly incorporated into a thrombus and did not affect thrombus formation: average thrombus height in the recalcified whole blood in the presence of platelet-activation-produced MVs was 4.19 ± 1.38 μm versus 4.87 ± 1.72 μm (n = 6, p > 0.05) in the control experiments. This suggests that MVs present in plasma of healthy individuals are not likely to be directly involved in thrombus formation under arterial flow conditions.