Inhibition of Platelet Aggregation by Human Placenta

Summary

Human placental cytosol inhibits platelet aggregation induced by high doses of collagen. The aim of this study was to investigate whether this anti-aggregating activity was caused only by the presence of various activities already described in the placenta (an ADP-consuming enzyme, a fatty acid cyclooxygenase inhibitor, and a thromboxane synthetase inhibitor) or whether another factor was present.

Heating the cytosol at 50° C for 6 min destroyed the inhibitor of collagen-induced aggregation. ADPase and the AA pathway inhibitors were not modified by this treatment. We therefore show the presence of an additional anti-aggregating factor: it is destroyed by heating at 50° C.

We also tested for the presence of an inhibitor of AA release in the placental cytosol using three different methods (rabbit platelets in PRP, washed rabbit platelets, and NRK fibroblasts) but no inhibition could be evidenced.

We conclude that this new anti-aggregating factor, which is probably a protein, acts neither through AA release inhibition nor AA cascade inhibition.

Keywords

Human placenta - Platelet aggregation - Cyclooxygenase - Endogenous inhibitors - ADPase

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