Nucleotide and Serotonin Metabolism in Platelets With Defective Secondary Aggregation

Ten patients with qualitative platelet defects have been investigated. All of the patients had impairment of secondary platelet aggregation induced by ADP, epinephrine, and collagen, and a defective release reaction. In seven patients from four families, the abnormality was consistent with the lack of a metabolically inert adenine nucleotide pool. Four of these patients, from two families, were albinos. Platelets from all of these patients had lower than normal amounts of adenine nucleotides and 5HT; the ability of these platelets to incorporate the amine was reduced and 5HT was metabolized at an abnormally rapid rate in platelet-rich plasma. It was not possible to distinguish the defect present in the albinos from that in the normally pigmented patients. Three other patients had normal amounts of platelet adenine nucleotides and 5HT; platelet aggregation and the release of adenine nucleotides induced by collagen were impaired. Metabolic ATP breakdown, during collagen aggregation, was also decreased. This defect is similar to that induced in normal platelets by aspirin. Studies on intracellular synthesis of cyclic 3'5' AMP in both groups of patients showed that the platelets were normally responsive to PGE₁ and the antagonism of PGE₁ by ADP and by epinephrine was also normal.