Thrombocytopenia Independently Leads to Changes in Monocyte Immune Function

While platelets have well-studied hemostatic functions, platelets are immune cells that circulate at the interface between the vascular wall and white blood cells. The physiological implications of these constant transient interactions are poorly understood. Activated platelets induce and amplify immune responses, but platelets may also maintain immune homeostasis in healthy conditions, including maintaining vascular integrity and T helper cell differentiation, meaning that platelets are central to both immune responses and immune quiescence. Clinical data have shown an association between low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia) and immune dysfunction in patients with sepsis and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, further implicating platelets as more holistic immune regulators, but studies of platelet immune functions in nondisease contexts have had limited study.