Blood platelets apoptosis in hemodialyzed patients

Blood platelet proteome of hemodialyzed uremic patients exhibits significant difference in comparison to the blood platelet proteome of healthy subjects. This alteration is manifested by the presence of high concentrations of low molecular peptides within the whole range of pI. Increased platelet apoptosis has been put forward as a possible cause of this phenomenon (1). The aim of the present research was to assess whether blood platelet populations from hemodialyzed uremic patients exhibit more binding sites for Annexin V (a marker of apoptosis) than control samples from healthy donors. Blood was obtained from uremic patients immediately before and after hemodialysis. At the same time samples from control healthy donors were also collected. Blood was anticoagulated with sodium citrate and was immediately exposed to propidium iodide, fluorescent labeled Annexin V and CD61 antibodies. The samples were incubated for 10 minutes in the dark and next the labeled samples were processed in a BectonDickinson FACScan flow cytofluorymeter. Our preliminary study was performed for 12 hemodialyzed patients, 13nondialyzed uremic patientsand 12 controls. It was found that the blood platelet population of hemodialyzed patients exhibited significantly higher level of fluorescence intensity attributed to Annexin V. Furthermore, this intensity was comparable before and after hemodialysis and was independent on patient age. The results support the hypothesis that blood platelet contact with artificial surfaces during the process of hemodialysys may be partially responsible for triggering blood platelet apoptosis.