Hemostasis vs. homeostasis: Platelets are essential for preserving vascular barrier function in the absence of injury or inflammation.

ABSTRACT: Platelets are best known for their vasoprotective responses to injury and inflammation. Here, we have asked whether they also support vascular integrity when neither injury nor inflammation is present. Changes in vascular barrier function in dermal and meningeal vessels were measured in real time in mouse models using the differential extravasation of fluorescent tracers as a biomarker. Severe thrombocytopenia produced by two distinct methods caused increased extravasation of 40-kDa dextran from capillaries and postcapillary venules but had no effect on extravasation of 70-kDa dextran or albumin. This reduction in barrier function required more than 4 h to emerge after thrombocytopenia was established, reverting to normal as the platelet count recovered. Barrier dysfunction was also observ

SUBMITTER: Gupta S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7533880 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature