Semin Thromb Hemost 2014; 40(06): 675-681
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1387924
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Are Microparticles the Missing Link between Thrombosis and Autoimmune Diseases? Involvement in Selected Rheumatologic Diseases

Melissa Cunningham
1   Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
,
Natalia Marks
2   Department of Radiology, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York
,
April Barnado
1   Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
,
Jena R. Wirth
1   Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
,
Gary Gilkeson
1   Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
,
Margaret Markiewicz
1   Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
31 August 2014 (online)

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Abstract

Microparticles (MPs) are membrane-bound vesicles with important physiologic effects. MPs exchange information intercellularly, with each kind of MP carrying antigens and receptors of the cells from which they originated. They are biologic effectors in inflammation, angiogenesis, vascular injury, and thrombosis. Thrombosis is generally caused by abnormalities in blood flow, blood composition, and/or properties of the vessel wall. Thrombosis is a well-described feature of cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease. Accumulating evidence suggests that increased risk of thrombosis is also characteristic of autoimmune disorders and immune-mediated diseases affecting all age groups, although the older adults are most vulnerable. Current research has also implicated MPs as a source of autoantigenic nuclear material that can form immune complexes, activate the innate immune system, and may lead to autoimmunity. This review focuses on the contribution of MPs to both the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and, as the immune and coagulation systems are tightly linked, their role in hypercoagulability in the setting of autoimmunity in an aging population.