The use of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) in the treatment of infections

The use of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) as a treatment for tissue damage has gained importance in recent years in the field of regenerative medicine, presenting itself as an easy to perform, minimally invasive technique.

However, despite having been studied mainly for its regenerative effects, it has also been observed that it prevents the appearance of infections, which suggests that PRP would also have antimicrobial properties.

The Role of PRP in Tissue Regeneration and Defense

PRP can be defined as the liquid fraction (plasma) that results from the processing of peripheral blood, but which has a higher platelet concentration than that present in circulating plasma.

In tissue regeneration, platelets play a fundamental role, since they migrate to the damaged tissue and release cytokines and other molecules that attract certain cell populations to the damaged area, repairing it.

However, in the case of an infection, platelets (PRP) not only contribute to the extravasation of cells involved in the elimination of infectious tissue, but also allow that tissue to regenerate after the damage caused.

The Classic Method of Obtaining PRP: Procedure and Therapeutic Applications

There are different methods to obtain PRP from a blood sample. One of these methods is the classical method, which is based on two sequential centrifugations, called separation centrifugation and concentration centrifugation.

In greater detail, this method consists of taking a whole blood sample in a tube without anticoagulant, and centrifuging it at 160G for 10 minutes.

As a result of this centrifugation, the erythrocytes are separated from the rest of the sample (plasma, leukocytes and platelets). Then, another centrifugation must be performed at 250G for 15 minutes, which makes it possible to concentrate large amounts of platelets in a small volume of plasma (PRP).

In addition, when required, PRP can be activated using different components, such as thrombin, which would lead to the formation of a PRP gel. Finally, unactivated PRP or PRP gel would be injected into the infected area.

In addition to its wide use in the field of regenerative medicine, PRP has shown its usefulness in the treatment of infections. Obtaining PRP requires only two simple centrifugation steps. However, it is important to note that the apparent simplicity of these processes misconstrues the possibility that the performance of the technique is not affected by the centrifugation process. Nothing could be further from reality, maximum performance will only be obtained with equipment that has been validated and, in which the operating parameters, beyond R.P.M., F.C.R. and time, have been calculated for these processes.

Our Plasma 22 centrifuge has been developed in conjunction with leaders in the development of these techniques and has been approved for their development.