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Platelet
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The platelet, or thrombocyte, is a small blood cell. It has several functions, and the one that has been studied best is triggering thrombosis, that is, setting clot formation in motion.
Platelets are formed by mature megakaryocytes. Their job is to maintain hemostasis, the balance that keeps blood from leaking out. They do it like this: they adhere to the vascular endothelium, the layer of cells that lines the inside of the vessel; they aggregate with other platelets; and they start the coagulation cascade, the chain of reactions that ends up building a fibrin mesh. They stick to one another at the injured spot, and the mesh is woven there.
That mesh is what keeps the body from losing a large amount of blood. Inside, the platelet stores alpha granules and dense granules. And it is not only there to plug a hole: the platelet also takes part in inflammation and in the immune response.
In brief
A platelet is a small blood cell with several functions, and the best studied is triggering thrombosis.
It is formed by mature megakaryocytes, and it maintains hemostasis by adhering to the endothelium, aggregating with other platelets, and starting the coagulation cascade that ends in a fibrin mesh.
Platelets stick to one another in the gap, and the mesh is woven there.
That mesh prevents major blood loss; the platelet stores alpha and dense granules and takes part in inflammation and the immune response.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingPhysiology, Platelet, StatPearlsPublished
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