Platelet-Rich Plasma and Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine-Associated Treatments in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
Figure 1
Efficient dolphin platelet-rich plasma concentration protocol.
(A) Adult male and female bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) between the ages of 7–25 years were utilized. Blood samples were collected from the tail vein plexus from 9 different dolphins at a local aquarium and placed into tubes containing sodium citrate. After centrifugation the upper half of the plasma was considered platelet-poor plasma (PPP) and discarded while the lower half was considered platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and used for subsequent experiments. (B) Representative images of FACS analysis utilizing a human CD41 antibody which recognized human and dolphin platelets (upper panels); Acquisition profile of FS versus SC of both, human and dolphin whole blood are shown in lower panels (in blue is represented the CD41 positive population in human sample). (C) Whole blood samples were subjected to multiple centrifugation protocols to determine which was the most efficient in concentrating platelets in a small volume of plasma. Significant increases in absolute number of platelets and platelet concentration as determined by fold change compared to whole blood were observed when whole blood samples were centrifuged at 900 rpm for 3 min. Asterisks denote a significant difference compared to whole blood; ** P<0.01.