Could platelet rich plasma have effects on systemic circulating growth factors and cytokine release in orthopaedic applications?

The use of platelet rich plasma (PRP) has been proposed for tendon and ligament healing, because platelets release growth factors and cytokine/chemokines which aid the regeneration of the tissues. We applied PRP in tendinopathies of professional athletes and we measured, from the time of PRP application until 24 hours later, a series of cytokines and growth factors in serum obtained from peripheral blood in five male subjects for studying possible systemic effect of the therapy. We did not observe modifications of these parameters: interleukin 4, interleukin 6, interleukin 10, interleukin 1a, interleukin 1b, tumor necrosis factor a (TNFa) and interferon g. We observed modifications of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial growth factor (EGF), and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2).