Affiliations: [a]
Department of Urology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| [b]
Department of Physiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| [c]
Environmental Chemical Pollution and Health Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Janette Bester, Department of Physiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0007, South Africa. E-mail: janette.bester@up.ac.za.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Increased risk of thromboembolic events is associated with prostate cancer, specifically linked to activation of tissue factor. Vitamin D has potential anticoagulant effects by the downregulation of tissue factor expression. OBJECTIVES:To evaluate the effects on clot formation, the morphological and viscoelastic profiles of prostate cancer patients, before and after ex vivo supplementation of Vitamin D was studied. METHODS:Participants were recruited into a metastatic, non-metastatic and reference group. Whole blood samples were treated ex vivo with a dose of 0.5μg/kg Calcitriol. Clot kinetics were assessed using Thromboelastography®. Morphology of the blood components were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). RESULTS:Results from the Thromboelastography® and SEM indicated no major differences between the non-metastatic group before and after treatment compared to the reference group. The Thromboelastography® showed that the metastatic group had an increased viscoelastic profile relating to a hypercoagulable state. Visible changes with regards to platelet activation and fibrin morphology were demonstrated with SEM analysis of the metastatic group. The viscoelastic and morphological properties for the non-metastatic group after treatment improved to be comparable to the reference group. CONCLUSION:Vitamin D supplementation may lead to a more favorable viscoelastic profile, with less dangerous clots forming.
