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Vasc Health Risk Manag. 2008 August; 4(4): 769–774.
PMCID: PMC2597765
Characterizing blood microparticles: Technical aspects and challenges
Arun S Shet
Department of Medicine, St. Johns Medical College and Hospital, St. Johns National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, India
Correspondence: Arun S Shet Department of Medicine, St. Johns Medical College and Hospital, St. Johns National Academy of Health Sciences, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore 560034, India Tel +91 80 2206 5352 Fax +91 80 2553 0737 Email arunshet/at/iphcr.res.in
Abstract
Although long considered to be cellular debris, microparticles (MPs) are more recently considered reflective of cellular stimulation, activation, and degeneration/apoptosis. MPs that arise from the cellular components of blood and the endothelial lining of blood vessels are referred to as blood MPs and by general consensus are small (≤1.5 μm), expose the anionic phospholipid (PL) phosphatidylserine (PS) on the outer leaflet of their membrane, and bear surface membrane antigens reflecting their cellular origin. This brief review summarizes the different approaches used by several groups to study blood MPs. The aim of this article is to review the technical aspects of characterizing the morphological and functional properties of blood MPs with emphasis on the preanalytical and analytical variables involved in these studies.
Keywords: microparticles, flow cytometry, techniques