New Insights into the Mystery of “High Risk Platelets” from Diabetic Donors

PULLMAN, Wash.—Amid emerging concerns that blood platelets donated for transfusion by individuals with Type 2 diabetes may be unsafe, scientists are reporting the first detailed identification and analysis of a group of abnormal proteins in platelets from diabetic donors. The study could lead to screening tests to detect and monitor these so-called “high risk platelets,” the researchers say. Their study is scheduled for the June 5 issue of American Chemical Society’s Journal of Proteome Research.

About 18 million people in the United States have Type 2 diabetes, and the disease is spreading with the epidemic of obesity.

John Miller, professor at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University Tri-Cities, David Springer, from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and their colleagues from the University of Rochester point out in the new study that thousands of patients receive potentially lifesaving transfusions of platelets each year to treat bleeding from trauma and for a wide range of medical conditions.

Scientists have known that abnormal platelets in the blood of diabetics may predispose these individuals to heart disease. It led to concern that platelets from these individuals stored for transfusion may be less effective and even unsafe. However, scientists know little about how diabetic platelets differ from those of healthy people.

The new study identified 122 proteins that differed in the platelets of individuals with diabetes compared to the platelets of non-diabetics. They also found that freshly collected platelets from diabetics show almost as many abnormal changes (more than 100) in protein content as healthy donor platelets stored for up to five days. These findings could lead to new tests for detecting and monitoring abnormal platelets to improve the outcome of blood transfusions from both diabetic and healthy individuals, the researchers say.

The full article can be found at http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/pr800885j.