Abstract
Background
While the PRP (platelet-rich plasma) method was the most widely used in the tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) research, there were still platelets in peripheral blood unextracted which are whose histology and function are currently alien.
Objectives
To prove the unextracted platelets existed, and to explore the correlation of the unextracted platelets with lung cancer progression.
Methods
A second centrifugation step was used to establish a modified approach, which was compared with the PRP method based on the PRR (platelet recovery rate). Sequencing analysis was used to explore the function of unextracted platelets.
Results
The modified approach improved the PRR to 100%, while the PRP method got the PRR at 70%. The PRR was negatively correlated with platelet volume, and positively correlated with platelet counts. Those results indicated that about 30% of platelets with larger sizes were unextracted in the PRP method. The Sequencing analysis revealed that those platelets are abundant in RNA and might be more pertinent to the progression of lung cancer connected with the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway.
Conclusions
This research raised a modified approach to collect the unextracted platelets omitted by the PRP method in peripheral blood, which provided technical support for TEPs’ application in liquid biopsy. We also proved those alien platelets might play a role in lung cancer progression, which would allow further mechanistic exploration.