Activation of platelet-rich plasma by pulse electric fields: Voltage, pulse width and calcium concentration can be used to control and tune the release of growth factors, serotonin and hemoglobin.

Activated platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used in the clinical settings of wound healing and regenerative medicine, with activation typically induced by the addition of bovine thrombin. To eliminate issues with availability, cost and potential side effects associated with bovine thrombin, ex vivo PRP activation using pulse electric fields (PEF) has been proposed and demonstrated. The present study characterizes the effect of PEF voltage and pulse width, in combination with a range of calcium concentrations, on clot formation, growth factor release, and serotonin (5-HT) release from dense granules. The main findings are: 1) increasing calcium concentrations with most PEF conditions leads to increased levels of PDGF and 5-HT release; 2) whether EGF levels increase or decrease with increasing calcium concentration depends on the specific PEF parameters; 3) the pattern of PDGF and EGF levels in supernatants suggest that these molecules are localized differently within platelets; 4) significant levels of PDGF, EGF, and 5-HT can be released without inducing clot formation or hemoglobin release. In conclusion, voltage, pulse width and calcium concentration can be used to control and tune the release of growth factors, serotonin and hemoglobin from PEF-activated PRP. Because growth factor requirements vary for different types of wounds and for wounds at different stages of healing, the unique balance of factors in supernatants of PEF-activated PRP may provide more clinically advantageous than the current standard of bovine thrombin-activated PRP.