Platelet fragmentation: A novel opinion for thrombosis therapy

Preclinical Research Ischemic cardio-cerebrovascular events represent a leading cause of morbidity and death worldwide. Given the central role of platelets in thrombus formation, antiplatelet therapy has great clinical value for the treatment of thrombotic diseases. Currently, most antiplatelet therapies aim at preventing thrombus formation by inhibiting platelet function, but not at direct thrombolysis; the latter is highly desirable clinically. In this article, the discovery of a cellular and molecular mechanism inducing platelet fragmentation is reviewed, which has led to the development of a novel, potential therapeutic approach to improve current thrombosis therapy.