Life Science Journal 2014;11(1) http://www.lifesciencesite.com 50 Impact of Different Preparation Methods on the In Vitro Quality of 8 Days Storage Platelet Concentrates Hamda El-Sayed 1 , Azza Hassanein 1 , Rania Fawzy 2 , Manal Zahran 1 , Ola Mahmoud 1 , Emad Yacoub 1 , and Azza Moustafa 2 . 1 Haematology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute. 2 Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. zahranmanal@yahoo.com Abstract: Background: Adequate prolongation of platelet (PLT) shelf life can achieve improved availability, logistical management and decreased wastage. The coupling of reliable methods of bacterial detection and optimum methods of platelet preparation can preserve the quality of platelets with extended storage. Objectives: This study aimed at evaluating the applicability of extending platelet shelf life up to 8 days, using different methods of platelet preparations. Subjects and methods: Thirty six platelet concentrates (PCs) were collected and divided into 3 equal groups, according to preparation procedure: Group (1): Non-leucofiltered random-donor PLTs (RDPs); Group (2): Leucofiltered RDPs; and Group (3): Single-donor aphaeresis PCs. All units were stored at 22-24 o C on a flatbed agitator for 8 days. PLT characteristics and metabolic variables, CD62p and CD63 expression and RANTES levels, were assessed on days 1, 5 and 8 of storage. Besides, automated bacterial screening was performed on days 1 and 8 using BACTEC blood culture system with aerobic medium. Results: Until the end of shelf life, the mean PLT recovery, mean PLT volume (MPV), PLT distribution width (PDW), swirling scores, glucose and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels showed best suitable values among the aphaeresis units, compared to the other 2 groups. pH was maintained > 6.8 in all groups. Also, the lowest expression of CD62p and CD63 was found among group 3, on day 8, compared to the other groups. However, RANTES results showed highly significant lower levels in groups 2 and 3 compared to group 1 on all days. No bacteriological growth was detected in all PC units, till day 8 of storage. Conclusion: Aphaeresis units could provide the highest quality with 8 days storage, particularly when assisted by a good and rapid bacterial detection system. Thus, the choice between different methods of preparing PCs with extended shelf life should depend on a critical balance between safety, quality and cost. [Hamda El-Sayed, Azza Hassanein, Rania Fawzy, Manal Zahran, Ola Mahmoud , Emad Yacoub, and Azza Moustafa. Impact of Different Preparation Methods on the In Vitro Quality of 8 Days Storage Platelet Concentrates. Life Sci J 2014;11(1):50-57]. (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com . 7 Keywords: platelet storage, non-filtered random PCs, leucofiltered random PCs, aphaeresis PCs, BACTEC. 1. Introduction Platelet transfusion is often considered a life-saving measure, being essential for the prevention and treatment of bleeding in patients who have quantitative and/or functional platelet disorders (1) . Nowadays, in many western countries, the demand for platelet concentrates (PCs) is obviously growing, almost up to 80% increase, compared to a decline in the use of packed red blood cells (2) . The development of potentially curable chemo/radiotherapeutic regimens, which lead to prolonged periods of severe myelosuppression and which in turn placed a considerable pressure on the logistics of platelets supply, necessitated intensive research into the biology of platelets, methods and devices needed for their collection and storage, and platelet transfusion practices (3, 4) . Studies conducted with PCs revealed that these cells lose their viability very quickly during the storage period, implying the need for continuous renewal of stock (5, 6) . So, in order to reduce the bulk of outdated and wasted products, many studies have been directed towards extending the platelet storage time for more than 5 days and assessing their acceptability in vivo performance. If this can be successfully achieved, it will confer additional advantage and flexibility to blood banks and transfusion services (7) . In fact, PLTs undergo a number of operations during collection, processing and storage that adversely affect their structure, resulting in reduced post-transfusion recovery and functionality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the applicability of extending platelet shelf life up to 8 days using different standard methods of platelet preparation namely, whole blood derived-PCs (WBD-PCs) either filtered or non-filtered and aphaeresis PCs and comparing their in vitro viability during the extended storage period. This will be an important step in transfusion services if platelets can be rendered available in a timely manner while diminishing the wastage of time-expired platelets. 2. Materials and Methods: Platelet collection and storage: Thirty-six PC units freshly collected in triple blood bags containing 63 ml of CPDA-1 anticoagulant, (JMS Singapore Pte Ltd), using blood collection monitor HemoMatic (TM) , from healthy