Abstract
Microparticles (MP) are small extracellular vesicles (30–1,000 nm) that are released
from activated cells or platelets. Exposure of negatively charged phospholipids and
tissue factor (TF) renders MP procoagulant. Normal plasma levels of intravascular
TF-exposing MP (TFMP) are low, but their number may rise in pathological conditions,
including cancer and infectious disease. Emerging evidence indicates an important
role for these circulating TFMP in the pathogenesis of thrombotic complications such
as venous thromboembolism and disseminated intravascular coagulation, whereas their
contribution to arterial thrombosis is less studied. Despite serious limitations of
the currently available assays for measuring TFMP levels or the procoagulant activity
associated with TFMP with respect to sensitivity and specificity, the scientific interest
in TFMP is rapidly growing because their application as prognostic biomarkers for
thrombotic complications is promising. Future advances in detection methods will likely
provide more insight into TFMP and eventually improve their clinical utility.
Keywords
tissue factor - microparticles - venous thromboembolism - arterial thrombosis - extracellular
vesicles