Platelet concentrates have been utilized in medicine for over 3 decades owing to their ability to rapidly secrete growth factors. They have gained tremendous momentum as a regenerative agent derived from autologous sources capable of stimulating tissue regeneration in a number of medical fields.
Many years ago, it was proposed that by concentrating platelets utilizing a centrifugation device, autologous growth factors derived from blood could be collected from a platelet-rich plasma layer, and later utilized in surgical sites to promote local wound healing. Today, it has been well established that platelet concentrates act as a potent mitogen capable of:
- Speeding the revascularization of tissues (angiogenesis)
- Acting as a potent recruitment agent of various cells including stem cells (chemotaxis)
- Inducing the prompt multiplication of various cell types found in the human body (proliferation)
Various systematic reviews from multiple fields of medicine have now demonstrated their ability to support the regeneration of a number of cell types and tissues. Below we review the evolution of platelet concentrates.