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Oxygen consumption in platelets of newborn infants before and after stimulation by thrombin
Insights
Newborn infant platelets exhibit similar oxygen consumption to adults, but their metabolic response to thrombin differs. This suggests distinct platelet activation pathways in neonates compared to adults.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Hematology
- Neonatal Physiology
Background:
- Platelets play a crucial role in hemostasis and thrombosis.
- Understanding platelet function in newborns is vital for neonatal care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare oxygen consumption and metabolic responses of neonatal platelets to adult platelets.
- To investigate the metabolic pathways involved in platelet activation by thrombin in different age groups.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of oxygen consumption in platelets from 36 healthy newborns and 27 adults.
- Assessment of platelet response before and after thrombin stimulation.
- Evaluation of the effects of metabolic inhibitors like dinitrophenol, deoxyglucose, and potassium cyanide (KCN).
Main Results:
- Basal oxygen consumption was comparable between neonatal and adult platelets.
- Thrombin-induced oxygen consumption burst was similar in both groups.
- Dinitrophenol failed to inhibit the thrombin-induced burst in most neonates, unlike adults.
- Deoxyglucose and KCN inhibited oxygen consumption in both neonatal and adult platelets, with some concentration-dependent differences.
Conclusions:
- Neonatal platelets show a distinct metabolic response to thrombin compared to adult platelets, particularly regarding dinitrophenol sensitivity.
- These findings suggest potential differences in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation or uncoupling mechanisms during platelet activation in neonates.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the specific metabolic pathways and their implications for neonatal hemostasis.
Abstract:
The authors compared the oxygen consumption in platelets from the umbilical cord blood of 36 healthy newborn infants with that of 27 adult subjects, before and after thrombin addition (1.67 U/ml). Oxygen consumption at rest was 6 mumol/10(9)/min in adult control platelets and 5.26 in newborn infants. The burst in oxygen consumption after thrombin addition was 26.30 mumol/10(9)/min in adults and 24.90 in infants. Dinitrophenol did not inhibit the burst of O2 consumption in platelets in 8 out of 10 newborn infants, while the same concentration caused a decrease in 9 out of 10 adult subjects. Deoxyglucose inhibited the burst in O2 consumption in newborn infant and adult platelets by about 50%. KCN at the concentration of 10(-4) M completely inhibited basal oxygen consumption but did not completely inhibit the burst after thrombin. At the concentration of 10(-3) M, it inhibited both basal O2 consumption and the burst in infants and adult subjects.