Summary
Several studies focused on the ability of bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in triggering
platelet and/or leukocyte activation. The aim of this study was to investigate the
molecular mechanisms involved in the aggregation of platelets and in their interaction
with leukocytes in whole blood after stimulation with low doses of LPS.
LPS did not directly induce platelet aggregation in whole blood, but they primed the
aggregation of platelets induced by epinephrine, adenosine diphosphate and arachidonic
acid. As shown by cytofluorimetry, platelets neither bind FITC-LPS, nor express the
LPS-receptors CD14 and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). On the contrary, LPS primed monocytes
and to a lesser extent polymorphonuclear neutrophils to adhere to platelets. Both
platelet-leukocyte interaction and platelet aggregation in whole blood were inhibited
by blockade of CD14 and TLR4. Moreover, the interaction between platelets and leukocytes
was inhibited by P-selectin, and by blockade of PAF and reactive oxygen species, suggesting
a role of P-selectin and of leukocyte-derived mediators.
In conclusion, these results elucidate the mechanisms leading to platelet activation
and interaction with leukocytes triggered by LPS. They suggest that the activation
of platelets by LPS is mainly dependent on leukocytes and especially monocytes as
a result of CD14 and TLR4 engagement. Moreover, we found that leukocyte-platelet interaction
was triggered by the synthesis of PAF and the generation of oxygen radicals that induced
upregulation of surface expression of P-selectin.
Keywords
Monocytes - platelet-activating factor - radical oxygen - CD14 - P-selectin - TLR-4