Effect of uremia and hemodialysis on platelet apoptosis.

The blood platelet proteome of hemodialyzed patients with uremia exhibits significant difference in comparison with the blood platelet proteome of healthy individuals. This alteration is manifested by the presence of high concentrations of low-molecular peptides within the whole range of isoelectric points. Increased platelet apoptosis has been put forward as a possible cause of this phenomenon. The aim of the present research was to assess whether blood platelet populations from hemodialyzed patients with uremia exhibit higher binding capacity of Annexin V than control samples from healthy donors. It was found that blood platelets of hemodialyzed patients, in the period between dialyses, bound significantly more Annexin V with no different incorporation of propidium iodide in comparison with platelets of control donors and conservatively treated patients with uremia. The results support the hypothesis that the process of hemodialysis may be at least partially responsible for triggering blood platelet apoptosis and result in increased risk of thrombosis.