Platelet Biochemistry Flashcards
What do platelets come together to form
A thrombus
What is atherogenesis
Build up of atherosclerotic plaque in the arterial wall
What happens in the blood vessels as age increases
As age increases the more common it becomes for atherosclerotic Plaque to build up and cause the vessel to erode or rupture
What is the first stage of atherosclerotic plaque build up
Fatty streaks
How does a breach in the vessel wall close
By platelets adhering and forming a clot
The first stages of atherosclerotic plaque build up are silent but what do they cause in the later stages
The build up can cause serious conditions such as
Myocardial infarction
Ischemia
Stoke
Sudden death
What are platelets
They are cell fragments which drive haemostasis
When platelets are activated due to a breach in the vessel what happens to the platelet
They undergo a shape change from smooth discoid to spiculated and pseudopodia with finger like projections
Why does the platelet need finger like projections when activated
They increase the surface area and the possibility to make cell-cell interactions with other platelets and also other cells such as those in the sub endothelial and white blood cells
What receptor is on the surface of platelets
Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa
What is glycoprotein IIb/IIIa also known as
Intergrin protein
Alpha IIb Beta 3
Approximately how many receptors are on the surface of a resting platelet
Between 50,000 and 100,000
What happens to the platelets once activated
The number of receptors increases on the platelet surface
The affinity for fibrinogen increases
What role does fibrinogen play in thrombosis
Fibrinogen is a plasma protein that links the platelets to each other via receptors on there surface which allows platelets to bind and aggregate
Aggregated platelets form….
Aggregated platelets bind via cross linking with fibrinogen to form a mass over the breach in the vessel
When the atherosclerotic plaque ruptures what becomes exposed
The sub endothelial tissue
Characteristics of the endothelial tissues which stops thrombus forming
Smooth
When the sub endothelial is exposed what does this trigger
It triggers the response of platelet activation
When the sub endothelial tissue is exposed what is exposed
Collagen
Von willebrand factors
Soluble agonists
What binds with collagen in the sub endothelial tissue
Platelets have a collagen receptor on there surface to allow for binding when exposed
What does Von willebrand factor bind with in the sub endothelial tissue
The glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor on the surface of the platelet binds to the Von willebrand factor in the sub endothelial tissue
What role do soluble agonists play in the sub endothelial tissue
They activate platelets
What does the endothelial mono layer do in the blood vessel
It keeps the blood flowing and separates the blood from touching the sub endothelial tissue
When a platelet is activated what does this cause
Shape change
Cross-linking of GPIIb/IIIa
Platelet aggregation
What does the glycoprotein VI receptor bind to
Binds to collegen to activate the platelet