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Protein’s
removal from platelets may help control harmful clotting
Laboratory
results from British scientists at the University of
Bristol have found a possible way to prevent arterial
blood clots, which can cause heart attacks.
According to BBC News, the researchers were able to
remove the protein PKC alpha from blood platelets in
laboratory mice, and this prevented clots from developing.
PKC alpha is an essential element in clot formation.
Eventually, this method may be a reasonable alternative
to anti-clotting medicines, which run the gamut from
aspirin to prescription drugs, BBC News reports.
Lead researcher Alastair Poole told the BBC that one
surprising result was that not having PKC alpha in a
person’s blood may not prevent normal bleeding
control: “ We have also found that absence of PKC
alpha doesn’t seem to impair the normal control
of bleeding, unlike some current anti-clotting medicines,”
Poole said.
The study appears in the current issue of the Journal
of Clinical Investigation.
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