Are platelet factor 4 and β-thromboglobulin markers of cardiovascular disorders?

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Abstract
Summary β-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 are the two best characterized platelet specific proteins. They are stored in the platelet α-granules and released during platelet activation. Their physiological function is unknown. PF4 has high anti-heparin activity, whilst β-TG does not. Certain factors can affect the plasma level of one or both of these two proteins and these must be borne in mind whenever the evaluation of β-TG and PF4 are thought to represent truein vivo platelet activation: their artificial release due to sample collection and processing, thein vivo release of PF4 induced by heparin, and the elevation of β-TG due to renal failure. What really represents an abnormal level of β-TG and PF4 is unknown, since we do not know their pathophysiology. At present, however, the platelet-specific proteins, even if they are considered as ‘markers’ of platelet activation, do not necessarily reflect the severity of the cardiovascular disorders nor do they signal thrombus formation, as thrombosis is a consequence of several interacting factors.