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PLATELET-STRUCTURE

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Bea Balolong Avila
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16 views

PLATELET-STRUCTURE

Uploaded by

Bea Balolong Avila
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PRIMARY HEMOSTASIS:

PLATELETS (Part 2)
Althea Marie Mamaril, RMT
The Platelet Structure
The detailed anatomy of the platelet is
best elaborated using electron microscopy and
can be subdivided into four major areas:

(1) the plasma membrane which consists of


the platelet’s outer membrane and related
structures;

(2) submembrane area which links the


membrane and the inner cell body;

(3) cytoskeleton (sol-gel zone) which


constitutes the matrix or muscle and skeletal
portion of the platelet; and

(4) organelles which consist of granules, dense


bodies, lysosomes, and mitochondria.
The Platelet Structure
I. Peripheral Zone
➔ Has a trilaminar unit structure (glycocalyx, plasma membrane, and submembrane
area)

GLYCOCALYX (“Surface Coat”)


● Relatively smooth and contain pore-like indentations that open communication
channels into the platelet cytoplasm, providing a distinct connection between
the inside of the platelet and its surroundings
● Thicker and denser than that of most blood cells, ranging in thickness from 10
to 50 nm
● Contains a number of glycoproteins (Ia, Ib, Ic, IIa, IIb, III, IV, V and IX) which play
significant roles in platelet adhesion and aggregation
● Also provides a surface to which some coagulation factors may adhere during
secondary hemostasis
I. Peripheral Zone
PLASMA MEMBRANE
● Approximately 7.5 nm in thickness
● Lipoprotein-rich layer
● Serves as the physical and chemical barrier between the intracellular and
extracellular constituents of the platelet
a. Sodium/potassium ATPase ionic pump - maintains a transmembrane
ionic gradient
b. Phospholipid constituents (phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, and
phosphatidylinositol) and other fatty acid pools required for fatty acid
metabolism
c. Platelet factor VIII (von Willebrand factor) - an important constituent for
the acceleration of blood coagulation and for platelet adhesion
I. Peripheral Zone
SUBMEMBRANE AREA
● Lies beneath the plasma membrane

● Separates the organelles within the inner matrix of unaltered platelets and the
cell wall

● Contains an organized system of filaments which are physiologically


comparable to the microfilaments and submicrofilaments of the microtubule
system

● The submembrane filaments contribute to the regulation of the normal


platelet discoid shape, act as a base for pseudopod formation, and interact
with other contractile proteins to modulate platelet adhesion and clot
retraction after activation.
II. Sol-Gel Zone
➔ Aka the “Cytoskeleton”
➔ Lies beneath the plasma membrane
➔ Represents the matrix of the platelet cytoplasm
➔ Consists of a circumferential microtubule system and randomly arranged
microfilaments that form an intraplatelet matrix that support the discoid shape
of the platelets
➔ Serves as stabilizing component to regulate the arrangement of the internal
organelles and microtubular system within the resting platelet body
➔ Also facilitates communication between the organelles and the platelet’s
external surroundings
II. Sol-Gel Zone
MICROFILAMENTS
● Provide the contractile force after activation that directs the organelles toward
the center of the cell with control and direction from the microtubules

● The microfilaments of a stimulated platelet are projected outward, causing the


formation of the platelet pseudopodia. When the stimulus is slight, the platelets
recover their discoid shape rapidly.

MICROTUBULE SYSTEM
● Plays an important role in the contractile response of platelets to stimulus

● Acts to mediate and influence the extent of the platelet contractile response
II. Sol-Gel Zone

Illustration of how platelets change shape once stimulated during


Platelet Activation
III. Organelle Zone
➔ Constitute a major portion of the platelet cytoplasm
➔ These structures include the dense bodies, alpha-granules, peroxisomes, lysosomes,
and mitochondria.

DENSE GRANULES/BODIES
● 250 to 350 nm in diameter
● Classified as dense because of their appearance by electron microscopy

ALPHA GRANULES
● Spherical and larger than the dense bodies

LYSOSOMES
● Platelet vesicles that contain a number of acid hydrolases that may digest materials
that the platelet endocytoses
● It is also a possibility that the acid hydrolases contribute to vascular damage at the site
of clot formation.
III. Organelle Zone
DENSE GRANULES/BODIES
● ADP, ATP
● GDP, GTP
● Calcium
● Magnesium
● Serotonin
III. Organelle Zone
ALPHA GRANULES
● Platelet Specific Proteins (Platelet Factor 4, Beta-Thromboglobulin family)
● Multimerin
● Adhesive glycoproteins (Fibrinogen, Von Willebrand Factor, Fibronectin,
Thrombospondin, Vitronectin)
● Coagulation Factors (Factor V, Factor XI, Protein S)
● Mitogenic Factors (Platelet-derived growth factor, Transforming growth
factor-B, Endothelial cell growth factor)
● Fibrinolytic Inhibitors (Alpha2-Plasmin Inhibitor, Plasminogen activator
inhibitor-1)
● Membrane-associated proteins (P-selectin, GMP 33, 24-kD GTP binding
protein, GP IV, Osteonectin)
III. Organelle Zone
LYSOSOMES
● Elastase
● Collagenase
● Cathepsin
● Heparinase
● Enzymes that degrade polysaccharides
IV. Membranous System
DENSE TUBULAR SYSTEM
➔ Arachidonic acid metabolism
➔ “Activation Center”

SURFACE CANALICULAR CONNECTING SYSTEM


➔ Granule release
End.
Althea Marie Mamaril, RMT

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