The main function of platelet is the formation of mechanical plugs during the normal haemostatic response to vascular injury. In the absence of platelets spontaneous leakage of blood through small vessels may occur. The immobilization of platelets at the sites of vascular injury requires specific platelet- vessel wall (adhension) and platelet –platelet (aggregation interactions) (Hoffbrand et al, 2006).
Platelets have been documented to play a vital role in blood coagulation (Guyton and Hall, 1996). They act as plugs around the opening of a wound and release contain factors that are necessary for formation of a blood clot to prevent loss. The platelets also maintain the integrity of the blood vessels by plugging the gaps in the endothelial lining (Ochei and Kolhatkar, 2008)
Clotting takes place in 3 essential steps:
1. In response to rupture of the vessel or damage to the blood itself, a complex cascade of chemical reactions occurs in the blood involving more than a dozen blood coagulation factors. The net result is formation of a complex of activated substances collectively called protheombin activator.
2. The prothrombin activator catalyzes conversion of prothrombin into thrombin.
3. The thrombin acts as an enzymes to convert fibrinogen into fibrin fibers that enmesh platelets, blood cells and plasma to form the clot (Guyton and Hall; 1996)
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