The platelet aggregating activity of human cancer cells and growth promoting activity of human platelet lysate on human tumor cells

Abstract

The platelet aggregating activity of tumor cells was studied in vitro using ten established human cancer cell lines, Lewis lung cancer cell and Chang liver cell. Four out of ten human cancer cell lines induced the aggregation of human platelet. The aggregating reaction was irreversible and was preceded by a lag period. The platelet aggregating activity was shed from the cells growing in culture and associated with cell membrane fragments.
Growth promoting activity of human platelet lysate on human tumor cells was also studied. Three cell lines examined, were stimulated to proliferate by addition of platelet lysate.
These results suggest that human tumor cells aggregate the platelet and the aggregated platelet successibly liberate growth promoting factor which activate the growth of tumor cells and thus formation of the tumor thrombus in peripheral blood vessels may be accelerated.