Thromb Haemost 2002; 87(04): 763-770
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1613077
Review Article
Schattauer GmbH

Reduced High Shear Platelet Adhesion to the Vascular Media: Defective von Willebrand Factor Binding to the Interstitial Collagen

Erzsebet Komorowicz
1   Section of Hematology Research, Mayo Clinic and Foundation for Education and Research, Rochester, MN
4   Visiting Scientist, from Department of Medical Biochemistry, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
,
Robert D. McBane II
2   Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic and Foundation for Education and Research, Rochester, MN
,
Jon Charlesworth
3   Electron Microscopy Facility, Mayo Clinic and Foundation for Education and Research, Rochester, MN
,
David N. Fass
1   Section of Hematology Research, Mayo Clinic and Foundation for Education and Research, Rochester, MN
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 28 August 2001

Accepted after resubmission 08 January 2002

Publication Date:
08 December 2017 (online)

Preview

Summary

Fibrillar collagen serves as a thrombogenic surface for platelet adhesion mediated by von Willebrand factor (vWf) at high shear. Although abundant throughout the arterial wall, vWf-dependent platelet deposition to artery cross-sections from perfused citrated blood is localized to the adventitia of the vessel wall. Here we describe a similarly skewed distribution of vWf-binding sites in artery cross-sections. Binding of vWf-coated fluorescent beads, as well as detection of plasma vWf bound to artery cross-section at 3350 s−1 shear rate with indirect particle-immunofluorescence or immunoelectron microscopy demonstrate vWf binding sites in the adventitia, but not in the media. A monoclonal anti-vWf antibody that interferes with vWf-binding to collagen in a microplate ELISA inhibits vWf-binding to both the adventitia and sections of collagen fibrils. Our data suggest that the media, despite its fibrillar collagen content, evidenced by electron microscopy, is defective for vWf-binding, which may explain its thromboresistant nature at high shear rates.