More Commentary on the Role of PF4 in Reducing Brain Inflammation

Platelets in the blood are not just involved in clotting. Near every aspect of our biology has evolved many different functions, and the complexity of our biochemistry is still far from fully explored. Increased platelet factor 4 (PF4) shows up as a feature in a number of different interventions known to reduce inflammation in the aging brain. Researchers are now moving in the direction of developing therapies for neurodegenerative conditions based on the upregulation of PF4 or the delivery of recombinant PF4. Platelets are a component of blood best known for their role in clotting, but research in recent years has illuminated other functions beyond the traditional part they play in healing wounds. Each platelet contains more than 1,000 bioactive molecules, known as platelet factors, that get released in different combinations when platelets are activated. Several years ago, researchers discovered some of the first hints that one of those hundreds of molecules, PF4, might be particularly important. The group was trying to explain why exercise increases neurogenesis in the hippocampus, a brain region important for learning and memory. Hypothesizing that something happens in the blood after exercise that affects the brain, researchers first screened the blood of adult mice after they started running on running wheels placed in their cages. They found about 80 factors whose abundance in the blood changed significantly after exercise, and PF4 was among those that ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs