Measuring platelet function with platelet shape change, an early event in aggregation

Platelet shape change precedes aggregation and is sensitive to significantly less stimulant. In this study, differences in percent light transmission (%T) through stirred suspensions of spheroid or discoid platelets are exploited for studying the response of platelets to Platelet Activating Factor (PAF). Changes in %T between stirred and non-stirred suspensions of unstimulated platelets in Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) varied with the starting concentration. Aggregation was blocked by the presence of citrate while activation by ADP was minimized by apyrase. However, phosphatidic acid formation, ATP release and minimal serotonin release occurred. A shape change parameter (SCP) was defined which varied with the concentration of PAF. Its dependence on PAF was shifted to lower concentration with washed platelets. The dose-response curves for the SCP were found to be virtually identical for both sheep and human platelets. Human platelets were then used to correlate morphology, as determined by phase contrast microscopy, with spectrophotometric data in the form of the SCP. A linear regression analysis of SCP and percent activation revealed a virtual 1:1 correspondence with a slope of 1.066 and an intercept of 0.009 with the standard error of the estimate equal to 0.053. The correlation coefficient was 0.990, making it significant at p < 0.001. This method provides an alternative to platelet aggregation assays as a convenient, sensitive and reliable measure of platelet activation.