الفهرس 
MicroparticlesOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Membrane microparticles are submicron fragments of membrane shed into extracellular space from cells under conditions of stress/injury. They may be distinguished from other classes of extracellular vesicles (i.e. exosomes) on the basis of size, content and mechanism of formation.
Microparticles are found in plasma and other biological fluids from healthy individuals and their levels are altered in various diseases, including diabetes, chronic kidney disease, pre-eclampsia and hypertension among others.
Accordingly, they have been considered biomarkers of vascular injury and pro-thrombotic or pro-inflammatory conditions.
In addition to this, emerging evidence suggests that microparticles are not simply a consequence of disease, but that they themselves may contribute to pathological processes. Thus, microparticles appear to serve as both markers and mediators of pathology.
Reviewing the literature, we found that, cell-derived microparticles had an essential role in hemostatic response and potential as disease markers, but also their implication in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes.
Microparticles derive from different cell types including platelets – the main source of microparticles – but also from red blood cells, leukocytes and endothelial cells, and they circulate in blood.
In hematology, their earliest recognized and most widely accepted role is the ability to promote and support the process of blood coagulation.
Consequently, there is ongoing interest in studying MPs in disorders of hemostasis and thrombosis. Both phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure and the presence of tissue factor (TF) in the MP membrane may account for their procoagulant properties, and elevated numbers of MPs in plasma have been reported in numerous prothrombotic conditions.