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Blood platelets and the inflammatory process

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Abstract

There appears to be an encouraging body of evidence supporting a relationship between hemostasis and inflammation with the platelet being the main link between the two. These processes are both triggered by damage to blood vessels and a response which occurs within seconds of this damage is the adhesion of platelets to the injured tissue and to each other. During the hemostatic process inflammatory agents are released from platelets.

Some anti-inflammatory agents such as aspirin also have anti-hemostatic properties and this seems to be because they act on platelets. During platelet aggregation, platelets synthesize the potent inflammatory agent prostaglandin E2 and its formation is prevented by aspirin. Only a few years ago in a discussion on ‘The source of the prostaglandins in inflammation’ [49], platelets were not even mentioned. The evidence summarized in this paper now makes it apparent that the platelet can no longer be neglected as a potential source of inflammatory agents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardeza Foundation and Department of Pharmacology, Thomas Jefferson University, 19107, Philadelphia, Pa, USA

    Melvin J. Silver, J. Bryan & Carol M. Ingerman

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  1. Melvin J. Silver
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  2. J. Bryan
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This work was supported in part by NIH Grant No. HL-14890.

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Silver, M.J., Bryan, J. & Ingerman, C.M. Blood platelets and the inflammatory process. Agents and Actions 4, 233–240 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01965226

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