Increased vesiculability of platelets in 24 patients with gastrointestinal cancer

Abstract

Background: Cell nanovesicles (NVs) are small (mostly nano-sized) membrane-enclosed cell fragments that are pinched off from the cell due to rearrangement of its constituents. We have determined concentration of NVs in isolates from blood in populations of patients with gastrointestinal cancer, patients with other gastrointestinal diseases and in healthy subjects. To study whether NVs derive from platelets, we considered correlations between the concentration of platelets in blood and the concentration of NVs in isolates from blood, and between vesiculability of platelets and concentration of NVs in isolates from blood.Methods: Blood samples were collected from 24 patients with gastrointestinal cancer, 28 patients with other gastrointestinal diseases and 49 healthy volunteers. NVs were isolated by centrifugation and washing of samples and counted by flow cytometry. Isolation was performed at 37 °C. Platelets were counted by impedance method. Populations were compared by methods of descriptive statistics.Results: In patients with gastrointestinal cancer the concentration of NVs in isolates from blood was considerably (44 %) and statistically significantly (p = 0.0005) higher than in healthy subjects and considerably (34 %) and statsitically significantly (p = 0.025) higher than in patients with other gastrointestinal diseases. There was no statistically significant correlation between the concentration of NVs in isolates from blood and the concentration of platelets in blood (r = 0.1820, p = 0.0801). We found a statistically significant positive correlation between vesiculability of platelets and concentration of NVs in isolates from blood (r = 0.5690, p = 0,0000).Conclusions: Fragility of platelet membrane in blood is increased in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Keywords

• cell-derived microparticles
• gastrointestinal neoplasms
• neoplasm metastasis
• thrombosis
• cell membrane