Platelets and cytokines

Cytokines that are capable of stimulating megakaryocytopoiesis provide new approaches to ameliorate clinical thrombocytopenia. Administration of non-lineage-specific factors that promote megakaryocytic progenitor cell proliferation has been shown to increase platelet counts following chemotherapy. Preclinical and preliminary clinical studies have shown that cytokines that enhance maturation of megakaryocytes also accelerate platelet recovery. Combinations of factors may prove even more efficacious and novel approaches to enhance platelet recovery using mobilized peripheral blood stem cells have been introduced. Lineage-specific cytokines may appear in the near future. The notion that platelet function might be enhanced with cytokines has been proposed; whether this will translate into clinical utility is not clear. Despite this recent progress in the development of thrombopoietic cytokine therapy, an important but unresolved matter is the establishment of precise clinical indications for such treatment.