Effects of sodium citrate and acid citrate dextrose solutions on cell counts and growth factor release from equine pure-platelet rich plasma and pure-platelet rich gel.
Authors: Giraldo Carlos E, Álvarez María E, Carmona Jorge U
Journal: BMC veterinary research
Summary
# Editorial Summary Whilst platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has become established in equine regenerative medicine, little evidence exists comparing how different anticoagulants influence the final product's cellular composition and therapeutic potency. Giraldo and colleagues compared sodium citrate, acid citrate dextrose solution A (ACD-A) and ACD-B across multiple parameters—platelet and white blood cell counts, markers of platelet activation (mean platelet volume and distribution width), and crucially, the release of transformative growth factors (TGF-β₁ and PDGF-BB)—in both pure PRP preparations and their corresponding gels. The anticoagulant used significantly affected cell counts and platelet activation status, with ACD-A and ACD-B producing higher platelet concentrations than sodium citrate, whilst pure platelet-rich gels released substantially greater concentrations of both TGF-β₁ and PDGF-BB than their liquid PRP counterparts. These findings have direct implications for practitioners selecting anticoagulant systems and deciding whether to use liquid or gel formulations, as the choice fundamentally alters the biological activity of the final therapeutic product. Understanding these relationships between preparation method, cellular composition and growth factor delivery allows clinicians to match their technique to specific clinical goals—whether maximising cell concentration or optimising growth factor release for tissue repair.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Choice of anticoagulant significantly impacts the quality of equine PRP preparations; sodium citrate and ACD-A are preferable to ACD-B for maximizing platelet yield and growth factor release
- •Pure-PRG formulations using SC or ACD-A anticoagulants may provide better therapeutic potential due to higher growth factor concentrations for regenerative medicine applications
- •When preparing PRP for clinical use, standardize anticoagulant selection and validate platelet counts and activation parameters to ensure consistent therapeutic outcomes
Key Findings
- •Sodium citrate and ACD-A produced significantly higher platelet counts in pure-PRP compared to ACD-B
- •Mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width differed significantly between anticoagulants, indicating varying degrees of platelet activation
- •TGF-β1 and PDGF-BB concentrations were higher in pure-PRG supernatants than in platelet-poor gel controls
- •Strong correlations existed between platelet counts and growth factor release, with SC and ACD-A producing superior growth factor concentrations