ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF PLATELET-RICH PLASMA

Autologous platelet concentrates have been widely used in various medical fields in order to promote tissue regeneration. The significance behind their use lies in the presence of growth factors in platelets α-granules that enhance wound healing by promoting cell chemotaxis, proliferation and differentiation. In addition, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of platelet concentrates have been recently pointed out. In this study, the antimicrobial effect of pure platelet-rich plasma (P-PRP) was evaluated against microorganisms isolated from oral cavity, such as Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus oralis. Blood samples were obtained from healthy donors. The antibacterial activity of P-PRP, was evaluated as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), determined through the microdilution two-fold serial method, and the minimum microbicidal concentration (MMC), determined by subculturing microbial samples from MIC tests to solid media. MIC results showed that P-PRP was able to inhibit the growth of E. faecalis, C. albicans, S. agalactiae and S. oralis, but not of P. aeruginosa strains. Moreover, MMB tests showed that C. albicans was less suceptible to P-PRP than other microorganisms. In conclusion, this study shows that, in adjunct to its well established regenerative properties, P-PRP possess an antimicrobial activity and so might represent a valuable product in the fight against infections