Involvement of platelet derived microparticles in tumor metastasis and tissue regeneration

Platelets play a major role in hemostasis, but are also involved in vascular biology processes such as angiogenesis and tumor metastasis. Activated platelets release many proteins favoring wound healing and promoting angiogenesis. Microparticles (MP) are small plasma membrane vesicles shed from cells upon their activation or apoptosis. Platelet-derived microparticles (PMP) constitute the majority of the pool of MP circulating in the blood. PMP express and may transfer functional receptors, stimulate the release of cytokines, activate intracellular signaling pathways, promote angiogenesis, and are involved in tissue regeneration and cancer metastasis. We investigated the effect of PMP on cancer cells metastasis and their potential beneficial effect in an ischemic stroke model. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.