ABSTRACT Platelets play a critical role in hemostasis and tissue repair; however, their short shelf life of approximately four days poses a major challenge to their supply. This limitation underscores the need for long‐term storage alternatives. In this study, we developed and characterized platelet membrane–coated gelatin nanoparticles (PL‐GNPs) as potential platelet substitutes. PL‐GNPs were prepared by coating gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) with platelet‐derived membrane vesicles. Cryo‐electron microscopy revealed the formation of a core–shell structure, and immunoblotting demonstrated that key platelet surface proteins, CD41 and CD61, were preserved on the PL‐GNP surface in the same orientation as in platelets. The membrane coating improved the stability of the nanoparticles against collagenase‐dependent degradation. Moreover, PL‐GNPs bound effectively to fibrinogen, an essential interaction in thrombus formation, and retained this function even after one month of storage at 4°C. Collectively, these findings indicate that PL‐GNPs recapitulate the critical structural and functional properties of native platelets and hold promise as a stable, long‐term storable alternative to conventional platelet preparations for therapeutic use.
Ando et al. (Wed,) studied this question.