Platelet Expression of COX1, IL1 and IL10 Research Proposal

Platelet Expression of COX1, IL1 and IL10 - Research Proposal Example Platelets are approximately 20% of the diameter of the red blood cells. They have proteins on their surfaces that enable them to stick to break in blood vessels. Their count is 150,000-350,000 per every microliter of blood (Andre, 2014). Each megakaryocyte produces an average of 1000-3000 platelets in a lifetime. An un-activated platelet is biconvex and disc-shaped, about 1-3 micrometers. In human beings, the average lifespan of a platelet is 7-10 days; however, the lifespan of an individual platelet is determined by the internal apoptotic regulating pathway (Machlus and Italiano, 2013). Platelets are formed from the cytoplasm of the megakaryocytes which are found in the bone-marrow. The megakaryocytes are approximately 75 micrometers in diameter. The megakaryocytes become polyploidy by endomitosis to assemble and release the platelets. They then mature, where the majority of the cytoplasm is packaged into proplatelets and the nucleus extruded. The platelets form at the tip of the proplatelets (Machlus and Italiano, 2013). The platelet formation is divided into two phases; one where the megakaryocyte mature ad when the megakaryocyte generate the platelets. The whole process takes place approximately in 5 days. During the first phase, the megakaryocyte matures and develops and it requires specific megakaryocyte growth factors. The megakaryocyte’s cytoplasm nuclear proliferates and enlarges as the megakaryocyte is filled with cytoskeletal proteins, platelet-specific granules and a sufficient membrane that completes the platelet assembly. The second phase is short and the megakaryocyte generates platelets by remodeling their cytoplasm into pro-platelets and later into pre-platelets that undergo fission and generate discoid platelets. The second phase may just take place in hours. Cytokines are antibody proteins that are mediators between the cells. Most of the cytokines are