Mean platelet volume as an indicator of platelet activation: methodological issues.
BACKGROUND
Mean platelet volume (MPV) is increased in patients at high risk for athero-thrombotic diseases. Thus, an elevated MPV may be a risk marker for platelet activation.


METHODS
Healthy subjects with normal triglyceride (TG) levels (90+/-6 mg/dl; n = 40) or mild hypertriglyceridemia (161+/-79 mg/dl; n = 32) were studied. MPV was measured in fasting blood samples before and after stimulation with collagen (10 micro g/ml), and exposure to 4 or 37 degrees C. Samples from the normotriglyceridemic subjects were tested again 4 h after consuming a high-fat drink.


RESULTS
Collagen and exposure to 4 degrees C increased MPV, whereas incubation at 37 degrees C lowered MPV regardless of TG level. There was no significant difference in unstimulated MPV between the fasting and the fed states in the normotriglyceridemic subjects (both 7.2+/-0.1 fl; mean+/-SEM), nor between the latter group and hypertriglyceridemic subjects (7.0+/-0.1 fl). There was a significant negative relation between MPV and fasting TG level.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that MPV response to low-dose collagen may be a useful indicator of platelet propensity to activation. Further studies are warranted to correlate MPV with classical platelet aggregation tests and with the use of platelet-active drugs.
Department of Medicine, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA. ypark@saint-lukes.org
Yongsoon
Y
Park
Norberta
N
Schoene
William
W
Harris
D000328:Adult; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D048429:Cell Size; D003094:Collagen / Q000494:pharmacology; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D015539:Platelet Activation; D010979:Platelet Function Tests / Q000379:methods; D013696:Temperature
D010938:Plant Oils; D003094:Collagen