Contribution of different phospholipid classes to the prothrombin converting capacity of sonicated lipid vesicles.

The influence of different neutral phospholipids and cholesterol on the procoagulant properties of sonicated vesicles containing phosphatidylserine was studied, using the prothrombinase assay. When incorporated into membranes composed of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine, a stimulating effect of phosphatidylethanolamine and an inhibiting effect of sphingomyelin was observed. Cholesterol slightly increased the activities of all vesicles tested. In lipid vesicles with a composition mimicking that of the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane of the activated platelet, the inhibitory effect of sphingomyelin was overruled by an overall stimulatory effect of phosphatidylethanolamine, suggesting an accessory role for phosphatidylethanolamine in the procoagulant properties of activated platelets.