Summary
Hamster platelets have been separated from their plasmatic enviroment by means of
gel filtration. This method of separation gave an excellent yield of platelets free
of non-adsorbed plasma proteins.
Gel filtered platelets (GFP), and platelets washed by repeated centrifugations and
resuspensions (CP) were compared to each other and to platelets left undisturbed in
their native plasma (PRP). Only slight morphological differences between the three
platelet preparations could be detected by phase microscopy. In the concentration
range of .28–.71 μM ADP, GFP, resuspended in PPP, showed the same degree of aggregation
as did PRP. At lower concentrations of ADP, GFP aggregated to a lesser degree than
did PRP. CP exhibited aggregation comparable to PRP only at higher concentrations
of ADP (.71–1.42 (μM ADP). GFP also supported clot retraction to the same extent as
did PRP.
It would appear that gel filtration provides a new, gentle and rapid method for separation,
from plasma, of platelets with activity very similar to that of platelets in PRP.
