Thromb Haemost 2009; 101(03): 439-451
DOI: 10.1160/TH08-08-0521
Review Article
Schattauer GmbH

Cell-derived microparticles in haemostasis and vascular medicine

Laurent Burnier
1   Service and Central Laboratory of Hematology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudais and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
,
Pierre Fontana
2   Division of Angiology and Haemostasis, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
,
Brenda R. Kwak
3   Division of Cardiology, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
,
Anne Angelillo-Scherrer
1   Service and Central Laboratory of Hematology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudais and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
› Author Affiliations

Financial support: This work was supported by the Swiss National Foundation for Scientific Research Grant PP00B—106690/1, The Swiss League for Cancer Research OCS 01775–08–2005 and the Leenaards’ Foundation.
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 14 August 2008

Accepted after major revision: 29 February 2008

Publication Date:
24 November 2017 (online)

Preview

Summary

Considerable interest for cell-derived microparticles has emerged, pointing out their essential role in haemostatic response and their potential as disease markers, but also their implication in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. They derive from different cell types including platelets – the main source of microparticles – but also from red blood cells, leukocytes and endothelial cells, and they circulate in blood. Despite difficulties encountered in analyzing them and disparities of results obtained with a wide range of methods, microparticle generation processes are now better understood. However, a generally admitted definition of microparticles is currently lacking. For all these reasons we decided to review the literature regarding microparticles in their widest definition, including ectosomes and exosomes, and to focus mainly on their role in haemostasis and vascular medicine.