Rat platelet aggregation by ATP. Aggregometrical and ultrastructural comparison with aggregations induced by ADP and...

This paper describes the aggregation of rat platelets by adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The aggregometry of ATP-induced aggregation and the ultrastructure of ATP-aggregated platelets were compared and contrasted with those of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-treated and collagen-treated samples. Human platelets were also studied alongside with rat specimens. Several lines of evidence indicate that the ATP-induced aggregation of rat platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is not a result of contaminating ADP in the ATP preparation. ATP did not cause aggregation of human platelets; it inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced human platelet aggregation. ATP pretreated with a creatine phosphate/creatine phosphokinase system caused similar rat platelet aggregation as did ATP not treated with this system. The aggregometry of ATP-induced aggregation of rat PRP was similar to that of collagen-induced aggregation but markedly different from that of ADP-induced aggregation. However, the nature of ATP-induced aggregation was similar to that induced by ADP. Both ATP- and ADP-induced rat platelet aggregations were not affected by adenosine, adenosine monophosphate, or acetylsalicylic acid. The ultrastructure of ATP-aggregated platelets was similar to that of ADP-aggregated ones. It appears that either platelets of rats possess specific ATP receptors or the rat plasma contains a material, lacking or insufficiently present in human plasma, that converts ATP to ADP in a fashion similar to the release of ADP from platelet storage granules.