Interaction of platelets and blood vessels--vascular injuries induced by platelet activation in vivo.

We have found that vascular injuries are induced by intravascular aggregation of platelets activated by arachidonic acid (AA) or ADP. The characteristic findings are the appearance of vacuoles in endothelial cells and eventual deendothelialization. In deendothelialized regions, formation of platelet thrombi was observed. The platelets in the thrombi were stained with 2T60, a monoclonal antibody that recognizes activated platelets. The change was more remarkable in the AA-injected animals because AA has a stronger platelet activating effect and a detergent effect on the endothelium. The ADP-injection experiments clarified the role of platelets in vascular injury. These findings suggest that activated platelets play a role in the genesis of vascular injuries, and that their role is related to thrombus formation.