Menu

18/02/2021

Platelet-Rich Plasma and COVID-19: the key role of platelets in respiratory infections

• Twittear

A work published by researchers Maider Beitia, Diego Delgado and Pello Sánchez from the Arthroscopic Surgery Unit of Dr. Mikel Sánchez (UCA, according to the Spanish acronym), in collaboration with Ana Vallejo, from the group of Cuidados y Tecnología Aplicada a Pacientes Críticos y Postcríticos [Care and Technology Applied to Critical and Postcritical Patients] of the IIS Bioaraba, and the Service of Pneumology of the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Manresa, demonstrates the possibility of nebulizing Platelet-Rich Plasma for its administration by air.

This type of administration could be applied in patients that suffer respiratory infections such as COVID-19, being pulmonary disorders and their sequelae the most serious effects, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and pulmonary fibrosis. Administration by air would allow acting directly on the lung tissue by modulating inflammation and fibrosis, and thus stimulating reparative processes on key structures such as the blood-air barrier. Platelets play a fundamental role in respiratory disorders derived from viral infections, since they are in the first line of defense against viruses and are essential to keep lung function.

This paper proposes nebulization as a way of delivery of Platelet Rich Plasma therapy, once its composition and in vitro activity after nebulized have been analyzed. It also reviews the role that platelets have in viral infections and in the proper functioning of the lungs, describing lesser-known actions of platelets that go beyond their role in coagulation. The protocol developed in this work is a first step in the study of platelet lysates and their translation to clinical application.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL PAPER