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Susanne Perkhofer, Cornelia Lass-Flörl

Med. Universität Innsbruck
Abteilung für Hygiene, Mikrobiologie und Sozialmedizin
Fritz Pregl Straße 3
A - 6020 Innsbruck
Fon: +43/512/9003-70729
Fax: +43/512/9003-73700
E-mail: Susanne.Perkhofer@i-med.ac.at

We observed that serotonin (5 HT) acts fungicidal against Aspergillus species and decreases fungal virulence in vitro. In humans, 5 HT is stored in platelets and the 5 HT concentration in granules is about 65 mM. These data and the coincidence of an increased infection rate and low 5 HT levels in certain diseases let us to examine the role of platelets in antifungal host defence.

Therefore, we investigated whether platelets are capable of phagocytosis of Aspergillus conidia and examined whether they are growth inhibitors and are able to damage hyphae of Aspergillus spp.

Platelets were not able to phagocytose conidia but showed extensive conidia-associated-platelets aggregation. Furthermore, platelets exerted antifungal effects as they were strong inhibitors of growth and were able to damage hyphae of Aspergillus spp.

Taken together, our findings suggest that platelets offer antifungal properties against Aspergillus spp. The in vivo role of platelets attracts growing attention and some clinical studies clearly point to such function of platelets in man.