Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.21.6 (thromboplastin)
 13,278 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Microparticles released from platelets (PMPs) may play a role in the normal hemostatic response to vascular injury because they demonstrate prothrombinase activity. PMPs were first observed as released vesicles from platelets following adhesion to vessel walls, and flow cytometry is now the most widely used method for studying PMPs. PMPs are thought to play a role in clinical disease because they express phospholipids that function as procoagulants. High shear stress can initiate both platelet aggregation and shedding of procoagulant-containing PMP, suggesting that PMP generation by high shear stress occurs in small diseased arteries and arterioles under various clinical conditions. In addition, the possibility that PMPs evoke cellular responses in their immediate microenvironments has recently been suggested. Despite many interesting findings, the significance of PMPs in various clinical conditions remains controversial. For example, it is not known whether PMPs found in peripheral blood vessels cause thrombosis, or if they are the results of thrombosis. There has been some question about whether the PMPs found in thromboses are consumed locally, meaning that PMPs circulating in the peripheral blood are not functionally important. Currently, the number of clinical disorders associated with elevated PMPs is increasing.
 ...
PMID:Function and clinical significance of platelet-derived microparticles. 1179 94

Diabetics suffer from many complications including a prothrombotic condition. Activated platelet membrane provides an anchor, phosphatidylserine, for the attachment of the prothrombinase complex, which allows increased thrombin formation. This study aimed to further elucidate the interrelationship between coagulation proteins and activated platelets in type 2 diabetic blood. We found that there was a significant increase (30 x) in thrombin activity in the type 2 diabetic (ZDF) blood as compared to age-matched (ZL) controls (p<0.001). There was also a significant increase in the number of platelet microparticles in the type 2 diabetic rat compared to the lean control (p<0.001). Further, there were significant increases in caspase-3, -6, and -8 activities in the type 2 diabetic rats as compared to the lean controls (p<0.05). The combination of increased thrombin activity, increased PMP formation and increased caspase activity may contribute to the hypercoagulability of the diabetic blood. These results give more insight into the mechanisms underlying the interrelationship between diabetic platelets and coagulation proteins causing a prothrombotic condition in this patient population at increased risk from thromboembolic events.
 ...
PMID:Thrombin activity and platelet microparticle formation are increased in type 2 diabetic platelets: a potential correlation with caspase activation. 1247 81