The growth factor content as an indicator of platelet counts in platelet-rich plasma

Background

Platelet contains growth factors that enhance tissue repair mechanisms, including epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-AA and −AB), and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been shown to significantly improve the treatment of tendon injuries compared with hyaluronic acid and placebo. The topic of agreement between platelet concentrations and growth factors has been covered in some previous studies, but growth factor levels did not correlate well with platelet concentrations.

Method

In this study, autologous PRP was prepared by concentrating platelets through a J6-MI centrifuge. The automatic hematology analyzer Sysmex XN-20 was used to analyze the platelet concentration in PRP, and the PRP growth factors were determined by ELISA, including PDGF, transforming growth factor- β1 (TGF-β1), and EGF. Statistical analysis was conducted on data from 107 patients who received autologous PRP using Pearson correlation analysis.

Results

Pearson correlation analysis revealed PDGF, TGF, and EGF had a strong positive correlation with the platelet concentration of the final PRP product (r = 0.697, p < 0.0001; r = 0.488, p < 0.0001; r = 0.572, p < 0.0001, respectively)

Conclusions

There was a strong positive correlation between the concentration of platelets in the final PRP product and the levels of PDGF-AB, TGF-β, and EGF. These results suggested straightforward and cost-effective growth factor tests can provide valuable information about platelet content in PRP.