Adult, but Not Neonatal, Platelet Transfusions Drive a Monocyte Trafficking Phenotype in Vitro and In Vivo

Although, thrombocytopenia can affect all age groups, neonates, especially pre-term, have an increased incidence of thrombocytopenia. Platelet transfusions may reduce the bleeding risk in neonates, but are also associated with adverse short and long-term immune and inflammatory outcomes. A randomized trial of platelet transfusions in neonates found that transfusion was associated with an increased risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, unilateral/bilateral retinopathy, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Past work from our research team found that neonatal platelets expressed lower levels of mRNA for many immune related molecules compared to adult platelets. We therefore sought to determine whether the transfusion of adult platelets to neonates resulted in developmental immune dysregulation, with a focus on platelet and monocyte interactions.

To explore the interactions between monocytes and platelets, we isolated monocytes from adult mouse bone marrow and co-incubated monocytes with adult (>8 weeks old) or neonatal mouse platelets (7 days old mice) and determined inflammatory and trafficking monocyte phenotypes by flow cytometry and qRT-PCR. Monocytes treated with adult platelets had an increased inflammatory (Ly6C ^hi) and trafficking phenotype (CCR2 ^hi), while monocytes treated with neonatal platelets adopted an inflammatory, but not trafficking phenotype. As expected, adult platelets increased the expression of monocyte inflammatory (Nos2, Cxcl1, Ccl2) and trafficking (Ccr2) mRNA, while neonatal platelets also increased inflammatory mRNA expression, but did not increase Ccr2 expression. Adult platelets express more Selp (P-selectin) than neonatal platelets and P-selectin is a major mediator of platelet and monocyte interactions. We confirmed that adult platelets expressed more P-selectin protein compared to neonatal platelets, and found that blocking P-selectin decreased adult platelet induced CCR2 expression to levels similar to monocytes treated with neonatal platelets. Using a transwell chamber we assessed adult and neonatal platelet effects on monocyte migration towards the CCR2 ligand CCL2. Monocytes were treated with adult platelets had significantly greater monocyte migration compared to monocytes co-incubated with neonatal platelets.

To model platelet transfusions in the setting of thrombocytopenia, we used 14d old thrombopoietin receptor knockout mice (TPOR ^-/-) that have low platelet counts, and infused adult or neonatal platelets. We observed a significant increase in inflammatory and trafficking monocytes in mice transfused with adult platelets compared to those transfused with neonatal platelets. Using an in vivo model of monocyte chemotaxis, mice were treated with CCL2 intraperitoneal after platelet transfusion. Adult platelet transfusions, but not neonatal, increased monocyte peritoneal trafficking to CCL2.

These data provide comparative insights as to how adult and neonatal platelet transfusions regulate monocyte functions. Adult platelet transfusions to neonates are associated with an inflammatory and trafficking monocyte phenotype that is platelet P-selectin dependent and may have a major impact on neonatal platelet transfusion complications.