3D-Morphological Analysis of Inhibitory Effect of Aspirin on Platelet Aggregation

Abstract

To develop a new method for evaluating the inhibitory effect of aspirin on platelet by the three-dimensional (3D) morphological parameters. The sodium citrate-anticoagulant peripheral blood samples collected from 12 healthy volunteers were divided into 2 groups: group treated with 200 μmol/L acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and control group. The platelets in the 2 groups were washed and purified. The purified platelets were added into reaction pools modified with type I collagen and induced to activation and aggregation under static condition. The 3D morphology of the formed platelet aggregate was measured by the laser shape microscopic system. Meanwhile, the platelet function was detected by turbidometric light transmittance aggregometry (LTA). This technology could acquire the shape, height and 3D morphology of the platelet aggregates without label, and could quantify their volume parameters. ASA treatment could obviously change the morphology of platelet aggregates. Compared with the parameters of control group, the volume of platelet aggregates in experimental group decreased significantly (t=8.97, P<0.01), while the cross-sectional area showed no significant change (t=1.94, P>0.05). The receiver-operating characteristic curve(ROC) analysis showed that the platelet aggregate volume as a parameter to identify the ASA inhibition effect had 91.7% sensitivity and 75% specificity when the cut-off value equal to 1395 μm3, and its accuracy and sensitivity were both better than those of platelet aggregates rate measured by LTA method. The new method developed for evaluating the ASA inhibition of platelet aggregation may provide a complementary strategy for researching and clinically evaluating of ASA anti-platelet aggregation in future.