Electrophoresis of Blood Platelets and Erythrocytes: A Study in Healthy Persons and Patients with Haematological Diseases, Prosthetic Heart Valves, Virus Infections and Hyperlipaemia

Electrokinetic behaviour and surface sialic acid status of blood platelets in essential thrombocythaemia (ET)

We have previously reported, for platelets from patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, that there was in increased electrophoretic mobility that was related to their increased sialic acid content. Heterogeneity in the circulating platelet pool of patients with essential thrombocythaemia (platelet counts 600-1000 x 10(9)/l) has also been investigated by preparative continuous flow electrophoresis (CFE). The surface charge-dependent separation profiles of all the patients' platelets showed marked anodal shifts compared with the profiles of platelets from age- and sex-matched control subjects separated under identical conditions. The increase above normal in the net electronegativity of the patients' platelets could not be accounted for by differences in surface neuraminidase-labile or total platelet sialic acid content.

Electrokinetic properties and surface membrane sialic acid status of platelets in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)

Continuous flow electrophoresis has been used to investigate heterogeneity in the circulating platelets from patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenia (ITP) and from age- and sex-matched control donors. The ITP patients' platelet counts ranged from 15 to 80 X 10(9)/l and they had much higher mean volumes and significantly higher (two-fold) total cell and neuraminidase-labile surface sialic acid contents expressed per unit cell than normal. After volume normalization the mean difference between the two groups was not statistically significant. The relationships of these findings to abnormal thrombopoiesis and to molecular recognition for reticuloendothelial system (RES) removal are discussed.