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Recent evidence has revealed that blood platelets do not only exert important functions in hemostasis and thrombus formation but are also involved in atherosclerotic vascular disease. A major portion of the underlying mechanisms is impaorted by an intricate functional relationship of platelets with chemokines, which have also been implicated in atherogenesis and neointima formation: (1) Platelets can induce the secretion of chemokines in different cells of the vascular wall; (2) In combination with primary platelet agonists, several chemokines can potentiate platelet aggregation and adhesion; (3) Activated platelets can release and deposit chemokines or their precursors on surface proteoglycans of vascular cells, triggering atherogenic recruitment of mononuclear and progenitor cells or modulating crucial processes such as angiogenesis and lipoprotein metabolism; recently identified heterophilic interactions of secreted platelet chemokines can impart a differential and subtle tuning of their functions in the vascular context; (4) Surface-adherent platelets can bind and present vascular cell-derived chemokines to trigger the arrest of circulating mononuclear cells. The intimate linkage between platelets and chemokines as culprits in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases may provide valuable targets for the design and development of selective molecular interventions.
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J. Vasc. Biol. 42, Sup:2 (2005) p20