Heterophile antibodies and tissue injury. 3. A role for platelets in the development of lethal vascular injury during Forssman shock in guinea pigs.

Platelets appear to be pathogenetic determinants in the development of lethal Forssman shock, which was provoked in guinea pigs by an intravenous injection of rabbit antiserum to sheep erythrocyte stromata. Within moments, circulating platelets (prelabeled with (14)C-serotonin) were removed from the blood stream and impacted in the lungs, where they liberated (14)C into the tissues. When animals were depleted of platelets prior to the production of shock, they survived for prolonged periods of time or were protected against death. Pretreatment with antiinflammatory compounds capable of inhibiting platelet aggregation and release phenomena had a similar protective influence. It would appear, therefore, that Forssman shock is a convenient and accessible model for investigating the mechanisms whereby platelets mediate immune vascular damage.