Microparticle and mitochondrial release during extended storage of different types of platelet concentrates

Abstract

On activation, platelets release vesicles called microparticles (MPs). MPs are heterogeneous with regard to the presence or absence of mitochondria. We quantified MPs in platelet concentrates (PCs) taking their mitochondrial content into account. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), buffy coat (BC) and apheresis (AP) PCs were tested through 7 days of storage. A combination of flow cytometry and spanning-tree progression analysis of density-normalized events (SPADE) was used to determine MP and mitochondrial release during storage. All the PC biochemical parameters complied with transfusion standards at all times. Platelet activation markers increased during storage and were higher for PRP than other types of PCs. Concentrations of MPs and extracellular mitochondria interpreted by SPADE algorithm were significantly higher in PRP than other in PCs and were stable throughout storage. The mode of preparation, rather than storage duration, impacts the release of MPs and mitochondria in PCs.

Keywords:

• Microparticles
• mitochondria
• platelet concentrates
• SPADE
• storage
• transfusion

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to blood donors who participated in this study. We are particularly thankful to Marc Cloutier, Éric Ducas, Nathalie Dussault, Marie-Joëlle de Grandmont, Audrey Laforce-Lavoie, Patricia Landry, Simon Leclerc, Claudia Racine, Carl Simard, Nathalie Cloutier and Maxime Floreani for their helpful collaboration. We acknowledge the contributions of Marie-Ève Allard for scheduling blood collection and for performing phlebotomies, and the personnel from the Operations and Quality Control at Héma-Québec for their support. We also thank Richard Janvier (Université Laval) for the TEM sample preparation.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Blood Services (Eric Boilard). Eric Boilard is the recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research new investigator award. Matthieu Rousseau was supported by a discovery grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Geneviève Marcoux is a recipient of awards from the Fond de Recherche du Québec Nature et Technologie, NSERC, Health Canada and the Canadian Blood Services. Anne-Claire Duchez and Luc H. Boudreau are recipients of fellowships from the Canadian Arthritis Network. No funding bodies had any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the view of the federal government.