A non-binding surface demonstrates increased thrombogenicity under plasma-free conditions

Abstract

Abstract Although the commercially available, non-binding microplate is characterised as a low-fouling material, its suitability for the study of platelet function in basic research has yet to be determined. This study compares the non-binding microplate with microplates made of polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) in terms of thrombogenicity. The thrombogenicity of the non-binding surface was evaluated using several platelet assays performed on platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and suspensions of isolated platelets obtained from healthy donors. In PRP, the non-binding surface exhibited similar or lower thrombogenicity than the PP and PS surfaces. However, with isolated platelets, it exhibited similar or higher thrombogenicity. A clear asymmetry in platelet adhesion to the polymers was observed depending on the presence of plasma components. Adhesion was barely detectable for PRP on the non-binding surface and for isolated platelets on the PS and PP surfaces. Conversely, pronounced platelet deposition was observed for PRP on the PP and PS surfaces, and for isolated platelets on the non-binding surface. These observations suggest that platelets may interact directly with functional groups on the non-binding surface. Consequently, the non-binding surface could serve as an alternative to conventional polymeric surfaces in the in vitro platelet assays, when plasma is present.