title: Studies on tumor-cell-induced platelet aggregation in human lung cancer cell lines.
abstract: We investigated the ability of human lung cancer cells of different histological subtypes to cause platelet aggregation. Tumor-cell-induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) was studied in vitro in 13 human lung cancer cell lines [small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), squamous-cell lung cancer, large-cell lung cancer, adenocarcinoma and alveolar-cell lung cancer]. Three tumor cell lines failed to aggregate platelets in platelet-rich plasma, whereas platelet aggregation was induced by 12 cell lines when added to washed platelets and minimal amounts of platelet-poor plasma (0.5% v/v). The thrombin antagonist hirudin inhibited TCIPA in non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines (NSCLC). In SCLC, TCIPA was fully abolished only when the ADP scavenger apyrase was added to hirudin. Thus ADP and thrombin generation by these tumor cell lines are responsible for platelet aggregation. The ability to activate platelets independently of coagulation factors VII and X was demonstrated for 8 cell lines. Electron-microscopically, direct tumor-cell/platelet contact was found to be the initiating mechanism of TCIPA in SCLC, whereas tumor-cell/platelet contacts in NSCLC could only be observed at the peak of the aggregation curve. Lung cancer cells activate platelets in vitro by generation of thrombin and/or ADP.
authors.affiliation: University Clinic of Regensburg, Department of Surgery, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heinmöller
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Weinel
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Heidtmann
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Salge
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zirngibl
mesh_terms: D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000473:pathology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D015539:Platelet Activation / Q000502:physiology; D010974:Platelet Aggregation / Q000502:physiology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured