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Platelet immunity, the hidden side
Platelet immunity, the hidden side
Marco A. Garnica-Escamilla 1 
, José A. Aguirre-Angulo 2, Oscar M. Marin-Landa 3, Adriana Chino-Dominguez 4, Javier Espinoza-Barrera 5, Jorge D. Lopez-Leon 5
1 Department of Anesthesiology-Critical Care Medicine, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Secretaría de Salud, Mexico City, Mexico; 2 Critical Care Medicine Service, Hospital Civil de Culiacán, Culiacan, Sinaloa, México; 3 Emergency Service, Hospital General de Zona 1A, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Mexico City, Mexico; 4 Medical-Surgical Emergency Department, Hospital General de Zona No. 3, IMSS San Juan del Río, San Juan del Rio, Queretaro, Mexico; 5 Medical-Surgical Emergency Department, Hospital Regional General Ignacio Zaragoza, Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado, Mexico City., Mexico
*Correspondence: Marco A. Garnica-Escamilla. Email: teranestmarco@yahoo.com.mx
Abstract
Platelets are the cellular blood component that mediates hemostasis and thrombosis. Platelets interact with and activate cells of all branches of immunity in response to exposure to pathogens and infection. The immune potential of platelets depends in part on their megakaryocyte precursor that provides them with the molecular composition to be first responders and immune sentinels to initiate coordinated immune responses against pathogens. There is evidence that extramedullary megakaryocytes may be immunodifferentiated compared to bone marrow megakaryocytes. The immune functions of platelets have been studied by identifying their ability to coordinate the need to repair a vascular breach and simultaneously induce an immune response that can limit pathogen invasion once the blood is exposed to an external environment. The major platelet receptors GPIb, αIIbβ3, TLT-1, CLEC-2 and Toll-like receptors (TLR), as well as platelet granule secretions in the formation of platelet and neutrophil aggregates and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The purpose of this work is to inform medical personnel about the immunological characteristics of platelets, the mechanisms that trigger their activation and the implications they generate.
Keywords: Platelets. Immunity. Megakaryocytes. NETs.
