Platelet phospholipids in liver cirrhosis.

In the present study we have investigated and also compared the biochemical nature of the platelet phospholipids in patients with portal liver cirrhosis and in normals. Normal platelets contained 10.88 +/- 0.83 microgram of phospholipid phosphorus per 10(9) platelets whereas the cirrhosis platelets contained 7.63 +/- 1.29 microgramP/10(9) platelets. In cirrhosis there was a 29.87% decrease of phospholipids compared to normal. However the percentage distribution of phospholipids in cirrhosis was similar to normal. But each phospholipid value in cirrhosis was found lower then normal. Estimated as microgram phosphorus per 10(9) platelets decreased amounts of phosphotidyl inositol (PI) (0.29 +/- 0.16), phosphotidyl serine (PS) (0.49 +/- 0.12), phosphotidyl ethanolamine (PE) (2.0 +/- 0.43) and spingomyelin (SPH) (1.42 +/- 0.31) and phosphotidyl choline (PC) (3.25 +/- 0.62) and total lipid phosphorus (7.63 +/- 1.29) were found in the patient group.