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Thromb Haemost 2009; 101(05): 902-910
DOI: 10.1160/TH08-11-0750
Platelets and Blood Cells
Schattauer GmbH

Effects of microgravity and hypergravity on platelet functions

Kesheng Dai
1   Department of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
,
Yuedan Wang
2   Department of Immunology, Peking University, Beijing, China
,
Rong Yan
1   Department of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
,
Quanwei Shi
1   Department of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
,
Zhicheng Wang
1   Department of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
,
Yanhong Yuan
1   Department of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
3   Space Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory, China Astronaut Research and Training Center, Beijing, China
,
Hong Cheng
1   Department of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
,
Suping Li
1   Department of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
,
Yubo Fan
1   Department of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
,
Fengyuan Zhuang
1   Department of Biological Science and Technology, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China
› Author AffiliationsFinancial support: This work was supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 30770795), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-06–0167), and A Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of P.R. China (FANEDD 200560).
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 17 November 2008

Accepted after major revision: 28 January 2009

Publication Date:
24 November 2017 (online)

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Summary

Many serious thrombotic and haemorrhagic diseases or fatalities have been documented in human being exposed to micro-gravity or hypergravity environments, such as crewmen in space, roller coaster riders, and aircrew subjected to high-G training. Some possible related organs have been examined to explore the mechanisms underlying these gravity change-related diseases. However, the role of platelets which are the primary players in both thrombosis and haemostasis is unknown. Here we show that platelet aggregation induced by ristocetin or collagen and platelet adhesion to von Willebrand factor (VWF) were significantly decreased after platelets were exposed to simulated microgravity. Conversely, these platelet functions were increased after platelets were exposed to hypergravity. The tail bleeding time in vivo was significantly shortened in mice exposed to high-G force, whereas, was prolonged in hindlimb unloaded mice. Furthermore, three of 23 mice died after 15 minutes of –8 Gx stress. Platelet thrombi disseminated in the heart ventricle and blood vessels in the brain, lung, and heart from the dead mice. Finally, glycoprotein (GP) Ibα surface expression and its association with the cytoskeleton were significantly decreased in platelets exposed to simulated microgravity, and obviously increased in hypergravity-exposed platelets. These data indicate that the platelet functions are inhibited in microgravity environments, and activated under high-G conditions, suggesting a novel mechanism for gravity change-related haemorrhagic and thrombotic diseases. This mechanism has important implications for preventing and treating gravity change-related diseases, and also suggests that special attentions should be paid to human actions under different gravity conditions.

Keywords

Platelets - thrombosis - haemorrhage - simulated microgravity - hypergravity
 

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