The effect of acidified glucose nutrient solution on preservation of platelet concentrate.

The preservation effect of a new platelet solution--acidified glucose nutrient solution (AGN)--was tested by adding AGN to pooled platelet rich plasma (PRP) prior to preparation of platelet concentrates (PC). Each PRP unit was prepared from a unit of whole blood and four PRP of the same blood group were pooled in 400 ml volume PVC bags. Equal aliquots of each pooled PRP were made prior to preparation of PC. AGN was added to one aliquot and nothing was added to the control aliquot. Equal volume and concentration PC were then prepared and the PC were further aliquoted for storage at 22 degrees C. After five days, the parameters of platelet count, pH, aggregability and hypotonic shock response (HSR) for PC preserved in AGN plasma were better than those of the controls preserved in normal ACD plasma. The aggregability and HSR of AGN platelet concentrates recovered to baseline after two h of incubation with fresh plasma. The results of electron microscopy show that platelets preserved in AGN have less changes in morphology. The results of our work suggest that the preservation effect of AGN on PC is similar to the effect of using second generation containers or preparation of platelets from thrombocytapheresis.