PLATELET CONCENTRATIONS AND GROWTH FACTOR YIELD FOLLOWING TWO DIFFERENT METHODS OF PLATELET RICH PLASMA PREPARATION IN NIGERIAN LOCAL DOGS

This study was carried out to evaluate the sequestration efficiency and growth factor yield of two different methods of platelet rich plasma (PRP) preparations in 20 matured Nigerian local dogs. The first method employed a common method of PRP preparation in most local laboratories in Nigeria while the second method involved the use of PlateltexR kit/Act which is a standard PRP preparation kit. Ten milliliter blood was collected from the cephalic vein of each dog for each method and was subjected to 2-step centrifugations at varying revolutions per second. Activation of the PRP prepared using the first method was done with calcium chloride while the Plateltex kit-prepared PRP (PPRP) was activated with batroxobin/calcium gluconate. The platelet counts of the whole blood and the two differently prepared PRP for the dogs were recorded and the results compared. Platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF) concentrations of each of the prepared PRP were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. The result showed that the platelets and growth factor concentrations of PPRP were higher than those of calcium chloride activated PRP (CPRP) which were in turn higher than those of the whole blood. This variation could partly be attributed to the varying intensity and duration of centrifugation employed during the preparation of the PRPs. The significantly (p < 0.05) higher concentration of PDGF and TGF in PPRP when compared to CPRP could probably be as a result of premature degranulation of platelets prior to calcium chloride activation in that method. The study clearly elucidated the superiority of plateltex kit-preparation method over the commonly used calcium chloride preparation methods in most of Nigerian laboratories.