Haemostasis Flashcards
Normal haemostasis
Blood flows within the vascular system transporting oxygen nutrients and hormonal information around body. Dependant on balancing factors constituting coagulation factors and platelets
Why is balance of blood constituents important
1)coagulation-allow stimulation of blood clotting processes following injury when blood changes from liquid state
2)thrombosis-limit extent of response to the area of injury to prevent excessive or generalized blood clotting
3)fibrinolysis-start process that breaks down the clot as part of the healing process
What is an overall view of the Haemolysis
Halting of blood trauma to blood vessels has 3 processes
1)vasoconstriction of blood vessels
2)primary haemostasis formation of an unstable platelet plug at the site of vessel wall damage
3)secondary haemostasis stabilization of the plug with fibrin
Then fibrinolysis happens
Why is it important to understand homeostatic mechanisms medically
Diagnose and treat bleeding disorders
Monitor drugs used to treat bleeding
Indetify thrombosis risks
Control bleeding in individuals who don’t have an underlying dirosder or blood
Vasoconstriction of primary haemostasis
Nitric oxide and prostacylin (vasodilators) concentrations are less than endothelin (vasoconstriction) concentration reducing the amount of blood being lost
What are platelets
Discoid,non nucleated,granule containing cells derived from myeloid stem cells
Formed in bone marrow by fragmentation of megakaryocyte cytoplasm and circulate for 10 days
Plasma membrane contains glycoproteins
How do platelets react following injury to vessel wall
Stick damaged endothelium either directly to collagen via the platelet GPIa receptor or indirectly by the von willer brand factor which binds to platelet GPIb receptor
Causes activation and change shape from disc to rounded form with spicules to encourage platelet to platelet interaction
What do platelets do after being activated
They release the content of their storage granules
Alpha granules or dense granules
Contents include ADP,fibronegen,VWF
What other chemicals do platelets produce
Prostaglandin thromboxane A2 from arachidonic acid which is derived from the cell membrane
Useful in platelet aggregation but is a vasoconstrictor
Activated platelets also produce calcium
What does the release of ADO and generation of thromboxane A2 do
ADP binds to p2y12 receptor and thromboxane binds to thromboxane A2 receptor which has a positive feedback effect
How does fibrinogen bind to platelets
Platelet activation causes a conformational change in the GPIIb/IIIa receptor (inside out), which provide binding sites for fibrinogen
This binding causes outside-in signalling which further activates the platelets
Fibrinogen has a key role in linking platelets together to form the platelet plug
How is inappropriate platelet aggregation avoided
Active flow of blood and release of prostacylin (PG12)
Is a powerful vasodilator
Released by endothelial cells
What does aspirin do an an antiplatelet drug
Inhibits the production of thromboxane A2 by irreversibly blocking the action of cyclo-oxygenase (COX), resulting in a reduction in platelet aggregation
Effect last for 7 days
Why is prostacylin production less inhibited by COX action
endothelial cells are nucleated so can synthesise more COX whereas the non-nuclear platelet can’t
How does clopidogrel work as an antiplatelet drug?
It irreversibly blocks the ADP receptor (P2Y12) on the platelet cell membrane
The effect of clopidogrel also lasts 7 days until new platelets have been produced
What is von Willebrand factor (VWF) and what is it synthesised by
A glycoprotein synthesised by endothelial cells and megakaryocytes and circulates in plasma as multimers (proteins with >1 monomer) of different sizes
VWF mediates the adhesion of platelets to sites of injury and promotes platelet-platelet aggregation
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Is a specific carrier for factor vIII
Why and when is fibrin formation needed
The primary platelet plug is enough for small vessel injury but would fall apart in larger vessels, so fibrin formation is needed to stabilise the platelet plug
Coagulation
Thrombin is generated which cleaves fibrinogen to generate a fibrin clot that stabilises the platelet plug
Where are clotting factors made
Most are made in the liver
Factor VIII and VWF are made by endothelial cells
VWF is also made in megakaryocytes
Which vitamins do some factors rely on
Vitamin K for carboxylation of their glutamic acid residues which is essential for their function
II (prothrombin), VII, IX and X are the factors
- What is each step of coagulation characterised by?
The conversion of an inactive zymogen (proenzyme) into an active clotting factor by splitting 1/more peptide bonds and exposure of the enzyme active site