Effects of caspase 3 inhibitor on the survival of platelet concentrate during storage.

Background and Objectives The time for platelet concentrate storage is 3 to 5 days. One of the limitations for platelet storage was storage lesion in which they lose their viability and undergo apoptosis. Studies show that apoptosis occurs in some anucleated cells such as platelets. In this study, the caspase 3 inhibitor was employed in platelet concentrates to obtain platelets with higher survival. Materials and Methods After preparation of platelet concentrates, caspase3 inhibitor (16 uM) was injected to the test bags. These bags along with control bags which lacked the inhibitor were stored at 22"C in shaker incubator for 7 days. Samples from these bags were obtained and the activity of caspase3 and the survival levels of platelets were analyzed. Results In the presence of caspase3 inhibitor, the activity of caspase3 in platelets decreased compared to the control group. Additionally, this study showed that the survival of platelets decreased during storage but in the presence of caspase3 inhibitor the survival of platelet concentrate was significantly higher than that of the control group (p<0.05). Conclusions Injection of caspase3 inhibitor to the platelet concentrate can reduce apoptosis and therefore increase their survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]