Document Detail


Cell-derived vesicles exposing coagulant tissue factor in saliva.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  21248061     Owner:  NLM     Status:  Publisher    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Upon vascular damage, coagulation is initiated by extravascular tissue factor (TF). Intravascular TF, which is present on circulating cell-derived vesicles, is non-coagulant under physiological conditions but pro-thrombotic under pathological conditions. Human saliva triggers coagulation, but the mechanism and physiological relevance are unknown. Since saliva is known to contain TF, we hypothesized that this TF may also be associated with cell-derived vesicles to facilitate coagulation when saliva directly contacts blood. The saliva-induced shortening of the clotting time of autologous plasma and whole blood from healthy subjects (n=10) proved TF-dependent. This TF was associated with various types of cell-derived vesicles, including microparticles and exosomes. The physiological function was shown by adding saliva to human pericardial wound blood collected from patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Addition of saliva shortened the clotting time from 300 ± 96 to 186 ± 24 s (P=0.03). Our results show that saliva triggers coagulation, thereby reducing blood loss and the risk of pathogens entering the blood. We postulate that our reflex to lick a wound may be a mechanism to enable TF-exposing vesicles, present in saliva, to aid in the coagulation process and thus protect the organism from entering pathogens. This unique compartmentalization may be highly conserved, since also animals lick their wounds.
Authors:
René J Berckmans; Auguste Sturk; Marianne C L Schaap; Rienk Nieuwland
Publication Detail:
Type:  JOURNAL ARTICLE     Date:  2011-1-19
Journal Detail:
Title:  Blood     Volume:  -     ISSN:  1528-0020     ISO Abbreviation:  -     Publication Date:  2011 Jan 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-1-20     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7603509     Medline TA:  Blood     Country:  -    
Other Details:
Languages:  ENG     Pagination:  -     Citation Subset:  -    
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Chemistry, Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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