Soluble P-selectin and von Willebrand factor rise in healthy volunteers following non-exertional ascent to high altitude
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Reduced oxygen tensions experienced at high altitudes are thought to predispose to thrombosis, yet there are few studies linking hypoxia, platelet activation, and thrombosis. Reports of platelet phenotypes in hypoxia are inconsistent, perhaps due to differing degrees of hypoxia experienced and the duration of exposure. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between soluble P-selectin, a marker of platelet activation, and von Willebrand factor (vWF) on exposure to hypoxia. We measured plasma concentrations of P-selectin and vWF in sixteen healthy volunteers before, during and after the APEX 2 expedition. APEX 2 consisted of a non-exertional ascent to 5,200 m, followed by 7 consecutive days at high altitude. We showed that high altitude significantly increased mean plasma P-selectin and vWF compared to pre-expedition levels. Both plasma marker levels returned to baseline post-expedition. We found a strong positive correlation between vWF and P-selectin, but no association between P-selectin and platelet count. Our results are consistent with previous work showing evidence of platelet activation at high altitude and demonstrate that the rise in P-selectin is not simply due to an increase in platelet count. As vWF and P-selectin could be derived from either platelets or endothelial cells, further work assessing more specific markers of endothelial activation is proposed to provide insight into the source of these potential pro-thrombotic biomarkers at altitude.
Date Issued
2022-02-16
Date Acceptance
2022-01-25
Citation
Frontiers in Physiology, 2022, 13
ISSN
1664-042X
Publisher
Frontiers Media S.A.
Journal / Book Title
Frontiers in Physiology
Volume
13
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2022 Turton, Pickworth, Paterson, Lawrie, Baillie and Thompson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000770908600001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=a2bf6146997ec60c407a63945d4e92bb
Subjects
ACTIVATION
altitude
coagulation
DOUBLE-BLIND
hypoxia
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Physiology
PLASMA
PLATELET
platelet activation
P-selectin
Science & Technology
STROKE
thrombosis
von Willebrand factor
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
825819
Date Publish Online
2022-02-16