Geometry of normal mammalian platelets by quantitative microscopic studies

Abstract

The shape distributions of normal and hardened human and rabbit erythrocytes and platelets were obtained for edge-on orientations of a few hundred freely rotating cells from analyses of microphotographs obtained similarly as by Ponder(1930, Q. J. Exp. Physiol. 20:29) by phase-contrast microscopy at 800 X magnification. Major average diameters (d) and thicknesses (t) were estimated for both normal and hardened cells, and were used to calculate an average geometric axis ratio, rp = t/d, which increases to unity as cells become more spherical. Our fixation procedure did not alter these shape parameters: rp was unchanged for erythrocytes, with d and t values similar to those reported by Ponder (1930); platelets had d X t = 3.6 +/- 0.7 mum X 0.9 +/- 0.3 mum and 3.1 +/- 0.4 mum X 0.6 +/- 0.3 mum, respectively, for human and rabbit cells, with rp = 0.26 and 0.20, respectively. Agreement in rp was found with data obtained by a novel rheo-optical method which allows for a direct statistical averaging for large populations (greater than 100 X 10(3) cells). Histograms and linear correlation studies were made of the above three parameters (d,t,rp), as well as volume (V), total surface area are (S), and sphericity index (S.I.) calculated for both "prolate ellipsoid" and "disc with rounded edges" models. Results indicate very high linear correlations between rp - t, rp - S. I., and d -S, with high correlations for t - V,d -V and S. Data are in agreement with the few reports in the literature determined by other methods, with the best model for platelets appearing to be an oblate spheroid.