Effects of donor age, donor sex, blood-component processing, and storage on cell-derived microparticle concentrations in routine blood-component preparation

Background A number of factors cause increases in the number of cell-derived microparticles (MPs) in blood components. However, the overall effects of these factors on the concentration of MPs during routine blood component preparation have not fully been elucidated. Aim: To evaluate the effects of donor age, donor sex, blood-component preparation, and storage on MP concentrations. Methods: Flow cytometry was used to quantitate the number of whole blood-derived MPs. Results: The total MP concentration was similar in male and female donors (26,044 +/- 1254 particles/mu L vs. 27,696 +/- 1584 particles/mu L). The total MP concentration did not differ significantly among the different age groups: 18-30 years (28,730 +/- 1600 particles/mu L), 31-40 years (24,972 +/- 5947 particles/mu L), and 41-58 years (25,195 +/- 1727 particles/mu L). However, the total number of MPs in fresh plasma (152,110 +/- 46,716 particles/mu L) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in unprocessed whole blood (26,752 +/- 985 particles/mu L), fresh packed red blood cells (PRBCs) (28,574 +/- 1028 particles/mu L), and platelet concentrate (PC) (33,072 +/- 1858 particles/mu L). Furthermore, the total numbers of MPs in stored PRBCs and fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in fresh PRBCs and fresh plasma, respectively. Conclusions: The study suggests that donor factors, blood-component processing and storage contribute to the MP concentration in routine blood-product preparation. The findings can improve quality control and management of blood-product manufacturing in routine transfusion laboratories.