Von Willebrand Factor and Platelet Glycoprotein Ib: A Thromboinflammatory Axis in Stroke

Overview

Journal Front Immunol

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2020 Jan 11

PMID 31921147

Citations 55

Authors

Frederik Denorme

Karen Vanhoorelbeke

Simon F De Meyer

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

von Willebrand factor (VWF) and platelets are key mediators of normal hemostasis. At sites of vascular injury, VWF recruits platelets via binding to the platelet receptor glycoprotein Ibα (GPIbα). Over the past decades, it has become clear that many hemostatic factors, including VWF and platelets, are also involved in inflammatory processes, forming intriguing links between hemostasis, thrombosis, and inflammation. The so-called "thrombo-inflammatory" nature of the VWF-platelet axis becomes increasingly recognized in different cardiovascular pathologies, making it a potential therapeutic target to interfere with both thrombosis and inflammation. In this review, we discuss the current evidence for the thrombo-inflammatory activity of VWF with a focus on the VWF-GPIbα axis and discuss its implications in the setting of ischemic stroke.

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