Newly discovered mechanism by which blood clots form
Polyphosphate from blood platelets plays a key role in inflammation and the formation of blood clots, scientists from Karolinska Institutet have shown. The study, which is presented in the prestigious scientific journal Cell, describes how this mechanism can be used in treatment.
Blood clots are a common cause of myocardial infarction and stroke, and they arise when blood coagulates and clogs a blood vessel. Scientists have shown that the formation of a blood clot involves the aggregation of blood platelets and the formation of structures known as "fibrin threads", in combination with inflammation in the blood vessel. The molecular processes behind this, however, are only partially known.
A research group at Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with American and European scientists, has discovered that an inorganic polymer, polyphosphate, plays a key role in both inflammation and the formation of blood clots.
