Denatured plasma and platelet function

Thrombocytopenia and platelet dysfunction are well known complications of extracorporeal circulation. The production of “denatured” protein is a common occurrence with extracorporeal circulation even in the absence of a blood-gas interface. We subjected platelet-poor plasma to vigorous bubbling with air and studied the effect of this “denatured” plasma on platelets from the same donor. Aggregation induced by ADP, epinephrine or collagen was measured. The bubbled plasma decreased the delay in the onset of aggregation observed with collagen and eliminated the biphasic aggregation response induced by epinephrine. These data indicate that “denatured” protein may affect platelet function and may play a role in the thrombocytopenia and altered platelet function associated with extracorporeal circulation.