Abstract
Platelets, which are small anuclear cell fragments, play important roles in thrombosis and hemostasis, but also actively release factors that can both suppress and induce viral infections. Platelet-released factors include sCD40L, microvesicles (MVs), and alpha granules that have the capacity to exert either pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory effects depending on the virus. These factors are prime targets for use in extracellular vesicle (EV)-based therapy due to their ability to reduce viral infections and exert anti-inflammatory effects. While there are some studies regarding platelet microvesicle-based (PMV-based) therapy, there is still much to learn about PMVs before such therapy can be used. This review provides the background necessary to understand the roles of platelet-released factors, how these factors might be useful in PMV-based therapy, and a critical discussion of current knowledge of platelets and their role in viral diseases.
Highlights
Platelets are anucleate cytoplasmic cell fragments 2–4 μm in diameter that play important roles in regulating blood hemostasis and thrombosis [1]
Once a platelet is activated, it exerts many effector functions, but we focus on the secretion of CD40L and release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and granules (Figure 1)
Whilst Megakaryocyte derived microvesicles (MKMVs) are interesting MVs that are worth of study, for the purpose of this review we focus on platelet-derived microvesicles (PMVs)
Summary
Platelets are anucleate cytoplasmic cell fragments 2–4 μm in diameter that play important roles in regulating blood hemostasis and thrombosis [1]. For platelets to perform these diverse immune effector functions, they must first become activated. Platelets release a multitude of factors and extracellular vesicles. These extracellular vesicles deliver platelet particles to surrounding cells and perform anti-viral and pro-inflammatory functions among others. The pro-inflammatory effects of platelet-derived extracellular vesicles are at times detrimental to viral clearance, resulting in the progression of the viral infection to severe disease states. Due to the duality of these two functions, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms surrounding platelet-released factors and viral diseases to be able to better utilize platelet extracellular vesicles as a form of therapy. In this paper we review current techniques for extracellular vesicle therapy and speculate as to how platelet microvesicles might be employed as a therapeutic tool in viral diseases
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