1987 Volume 29 Issue 11 Pages 1405-1411
Intraplatelet serotonin (5-HT) levels were measured in 46 patients with SLE, 20 with IgA nephropathy and 57 with other diseases. SLE patients had a lower mean serotonin level, 0.24±0.12 pmol/105 plts, compared with that of controls, 0.34±0.098 pmol/105 plts. In some patients with SLE, there was a significant correlation between clinical activity and intraplatelet serotonin levels. When the patients clinical state became serious, the intraplatelet serotonin level was depressed, although no increase occurred in plasma serotonin levels. Exogenous 5-HT uptake by platelets is not disturbed in patients with SLE. It is unlikely that failure of 5-HT uptake plays a role in the depletion of intraplatelet serotonin in SLE. However, in IgA nephropathy, both intraplatelet serotonin levels and exogenous 5-HT uptake by platelets are elevated, The mechanism of this elevation is not yet clear. When plasma β-TG levels were measured in SLE patients, no correlation between intraplatelet serotonin levels and plasma β-TG values was found.
