Fluorescence high performance liquid chromatographic analysis of free fatty acid levels changed during aggregation of rat platelets.

Stimuli-induced changes in free fatty acid levels of activated platelets were assayed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The fatty acids were prelabeled as their fluorescent 9-aminophenanthrene derivatives for the detection. The levels of saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid in an extracellular medium of rat platelet-rich plasma are significantly raised by stimulation with 10 microM ADP or 8 micrograms/ml collagen. Similar increases in saturated fatty acids liberated from washed rat platelets are also observed by using thrombin stimulation. Quantitative changes in the intra- and extracellular levels of fatty acids induced by washed platelet aggregation were assayed after addition of thrombin for 15 min. Increase in palmitic and stearic acid was observed approximately 3-fold their levels of that the unstimulated control.