Effects of donor age, donor sex, blood-component processing, and storage on cell-derived microparticle concentrations in routine blood-component preparation

Background: A number of factors cause increases in the number of cell-derived microparticles (MPs) in blood components. However, the overall effects of these factors on the concentration of MPs during routine blood-component preparation have not fully been elucidated. Aim: To evaluate the effects of donor age, donor sex, blood-component preparation, and storage on MP concentrations. Methods: Flow cytometry was used to quantitate the number of whole blood-derived MPs. Results: The total MP concentration was similar in male and female donors (26,044 ± 1254 particles/μL vs. 27,696 ± 1584 particles/μL). The total MP concentration did not differ significantly among the different age groups: 18–30 years (28,730 ± 1600 particles/μL), 31–40 years (24,972 ± 5947 particles/μL), and 41–58 years (25,195 ± 1727 particles/μL). However, the total number of MPs in fresh plasma (152,110 ± 46,716 particles/μL) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that in unprocessed whole blood (26,752 ± 985 particles/μL), fresh packed red blood cells (PRBCs) (28,574 ± 1028 particles/μL), and platelet concentrate (PC) (33,072 ± 1858 particles/μL). Furthermore, the total numbers of MPs in stored PRBCs and fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in fresh PRBCs and fresh plasma, respectively. Conclusions: The study suggests that donor factors, blood-component processing and storage contribute to the MP concentration in routine blood-product preparation. The findings can improve quality control and management of blood-product manufacturing in routine transfusion laboratories.