Dr Matthew Linden at the University of Western Australia (UWA) with colleagues from RMIT University investigated the combined effects of brief bouts of high intensity exercise and caffeine on platelet function.
Flow cytometry in the AMMRF (now Microscopy Australia) at UWA revealed that a single bout of intense exercise resulted in a 60 to 90 minute spike in platelet activation. This corresponds with the time during which there is increased risk of heart attack and stroke that occurs during and briefly after intense exercise. However, while caffeine is often anecdotally associated with sudden stroke, especially in the context of energy drinks, the researchers found no exacerbation of the exercise effect with caffeine use.
Dr Linden’s team also investigated flavonols for their potential to inhibit platelet activation. Flavonols are molecules widely found in fruits and vegetables and are reported to improve the outcomes of heart disease. Mice that were injected with flavonols before a simulated heart attack or stroke showed significantly reduced narrowing of blood vessels. Furthermore, by inducing diabetes in mice, the researchers found that flavonols were able to reverse the platelet hyper-activation that is associated with diabetes. Flavonols are therefore a promising preventative for heart attack and stroke, with the potential to avoid negative effects associated with other antiplatelet therapies.
Mosawy, et al., Platelets 24, 2013
A cytogram showing how platelets with different properties are identified by flow cytometry
October 24, 2014
