Variations in the ability of adsorbed fibrinogen to mediate platelet adhesion to polystyrene-based materials: a multivariate statistical analysis of antibody binding to the platelet binding sites of fibrinogen.

Platelet adhesion to the surfaces of biomaterials preadsorbed with plasma previously has been shown to be mediated exclusively by surface-bound fibrinogen and does not seem to involve the other adhesion proteins in plasma (Tsai et al., J Biomed Mater Res 2002;60:348-359). In this study, the influence of surface-bound fibrinogen on platelet adhesion to five different types of polystyrene-based microtiter plates preadsorbed with plasma was analyzed relative to the amount of adsorbed fibrinogen and monoclonal antibody binding to the adsorbed fibrinogen.

Platelet adhesion to polystyrene-based surfaces preadsorbed with plasmas selectively depleted in fibrinogen, fibronectin, vitronectin, or von Willebrand's factor.

Four plasma proteins have been shown to be able to mediate platelet adhesion to synthetic materials when they are adsorbed as purified proteins: fibrinogen (Fg), fibronectin (Fn), vitronectin (Vn), and von Willebrand factor (vWF). Among them, Fg is thought to play a leading role in mediating platelet adhesion to plasma-preadsorbed biomaterials, but this has been established for only three types of materials so far in our laboratory. Furthermore, the role of Fn, Vn, and vWF in mediating platelet adhesion to plasma-preadsorbed surfaces is still unclear.