Phospholipid loss in dying platelets

The death of a cell results in a large amount of membrane lipid, predominantly phospholipids and cholesterol, that must be eliminated. In this study, we have examined what happens to phospholipids in dying rat platelets. Rat platelets were incubated for up to three days following their activation with thrombin. Platelet death occurred during the first day of incubation. This was indicated by a complete loss of platelet lactate dehydrogenase into the incubation medium. The platelets progressively lost over one-half of their phospholipid content during the three days of incubation. Cholesterol and sphingomyelin (the phospholipid with the highest affinity for cholesterol) were not lost during the same period. Our findings suggest that significant degradation of cellular non-sphingomyelin phospholipid can be triggered by cell death. The preservation of sphingomyelin in dying platelets, may be an adaptive response to maintain cholesterol in a solubilized state within dying cells.