PMID: 6397767Jan 1, 1984Paper

Platelet adhesion

Progress in Hemostasis and Thrombosis
M A Packham, J F Mustard

Abstract

Platelets do not adhere to surfaces to which flowing blood is normally exposed in vivo. When the lining of a blood vessel is altered or damaged, however, platelets do adhere to the injured site. Platelet adhesion is one of the first events in the formation of hemostatic plugs and thrombi, and plays a part in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Other surfaces to which platelets adhere include particulate matter in the blood stream, bacteria and other microorganisms, the artificial surfaces of prosthetic devices, and some altered cells in the blood, particularly macrophages. The majority of investigators have studied the interaction of platelets with the subendothelium of normal vessels of young animals, or with isolated vessel wall constituents such as collagen. There are very few studies of platelet adhesion to repeatedly damaged or diseased blood vessels, although it is generally assumed that platelets interact with the connective tissue, fibrin, and cholesterol crystals in atherosclerotic lesions. Underlying the endothelium of blood vessel is the basement membrane, which has been shown to contain type IV collagen, elastin with its associated microfibrils, von Willebrand Factor, fibronectin, thrombospondin, laminin, an...Continue Reading

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