Platelet adhesion

Platelet adhesion is a critical functional component of blood platelets in pathophysiology and a current focus of drugs modulating platelet activity. In this chapter, we discuss platelet adhesion in terms of both basic science and clinical relevance, not only related to thrombosis and haemostasis, but also in terms of inflammation, infection, and immune-related functions of platelets. In particular, a key factor in the initiation and control of platelet adhesion in the healthy or diseased bloodstream is the effect of changes in fluid shear forces, which is also essential in control of expression and regulation of platelet-specific receptors such as glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX-V and GPVI, and the interactions with their major binding partners, including von Willebrand factor (VWF) and collagen, respectively. It is the nature of human platelets to rapidly become adhesive to various cellular or non-cellular substrates and to secrete an array of prothrombotic and proinflammatory factors, to localize coagulation and neutrophil-mediated inflammation within the vasculature. Understanding the cellular, biochemical, and shear-related mechanisms involved in platelet adhesion can underpin new advances in the diagnosis and therapy of disease.