LPS Mediates the Activation of Platelet by Toll-Like Receptor 4.

Abstract 3001

Poster Board II-978

Lipopolysaccsharide (LPS) is a principal outer membrane component of gram-negative bacteria. It initiates an inflammatory response to infection by activating Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) on various tissues or cells in host. Platelet contributes to the inflammation process through respond to invading pathogens, membrane adhesion molecule (CD62P, P-selectin) and CD40L on platelet are the indexes to determine platelet activation. The present experiment was designed to investigate the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on platelet and to determine whether platelet TLR4 involves in platelet activation induced by Lipopolysaccsharide (LPS). Human platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet suspension obtained from 15 healthy people were pretreated with a concentration of 0.2μg/ml of LPS in the presence or absence of thrombin (1 U/ml) for 1 hour. The expressions of TLR4,CD62P and CD40L on platelets were detected through flow cytometry, and platelet TLR4 was further determined by performing western blot analysis. The results show that the percentage of TLR4-positive platelet induced by thrombin was increased by 32.34% compared with the resting platelets (25.44%, P<0.01). TLR4 expression on platelets treated with LPS was remarkedly elevated in the presence or absent of thrombin. However, the expression level was much higher in presence of both than thrombin alone( 39.16%,P<0.01). Moreover, the similar results were found in Western blot analysis. Synchronously, the expressions of CD62P and CD40L on resting platelets were 6.39% and 2.45%, they were also markedly increased when treated with thrombin(42.68% and 14.80%) and LPS respectively, and the increase of CD62P was more significant when stimulated with both of LPS and thrombin(63.03%). Although anti-TLR4 antibody inhibited significantly the increases of TLR4, CD62P and CD40L on platelets induced by LPS, it didn't effect their increases induced by thrombin. The experiment results support the evidence that functional TLR4 can be expressed on human platelet. It may involve in platelet activation as an important mediator of LPS- induced CD62P and CD40L expressions on platelets.