Injury at the vessel wall leads to exposure of collagen to which platelets initially adhere, grow into aggregates and eventually thrombotic... Show moreInjury at the vessel wall leads to exposure of collagen to which platelets initially adhere, grow into aggregates and eventually thrombotic masses which can occlude the vessel lumen. This process underlies the disorders of heart attack and stroke. The initial phase of platelet aggregation governs the extent of thrombus formation. We have investigated initial platelet attachment to collagen-coated surfaces under mechanical and biochemical conditions in a parallel plate flow reactor. A simple algorithm has been developed to simulate the effects of platelet sliding/rolling on the surface with respect to the development of surface aggregate formation. Platelets are hypothesized to stop such movement once they collide with a neighboring platelet in their pathway (due to platelet coherence that strengthens the overall adhesive forces due to platelet-platelet bonding). We and others have observed microscopically that platelets will either attach firmly onto the surface, roll and slide or detach completely from the surface. Platelet behavior was investigated for overall adhesion and the translocation dynamics on overall adhesion on temperature, flow conditions, C-reactive protein (CRP), and coffee consumption. Our findings indicate that temperature, shear force, and CRP promote platelet adhesion and the intake of coffee impedes platelet adhesion. M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, May 2015 Show less
