Oxidative stress mediated platelet activation in patients with congenital analbuminemia: effect of albumin infusion.

Congenital analbuminemia is a rare autosomal recessive inherited disorder characterized by strongly decreased concentration, or complete absence, of serum albumin (SA). Several lines of evidence indicate that SA has anti-thrombotic effect. In vivo platelet function and the role of oxidative stress (OS) in platelet aggregation promotion have never been studied in analbuminaemic patients. We report two cases of congenital analbuminemia (1.0 g/dL) in a 38-year-old male and in in a 67-year-old woman. We analyzed platelet activation (PA) and OS at baseline and 2 hours after human albumin (40 g) infusion. PA was evaluated as platelet aggregation, sCD40L and surface αIIbβ3 integrin and P-selectin expression. OS was evaluated measuring serum sNOX2dp, and 8-iso-PGF2α. At baseline, analbuminemic patients displayed higher PA and OS. After album infusion, we observed PA and OS decrease. In conclusion, analbuminemic patients showed higher PA and OS and albumin infusion reduces platelet activation by reducing oxidative stress.