ReviewLife (Basel, Switzerland)2026
Beyond Platelet Count: Rethinking Platelet-Rich Plasma Efficacy Through Growth Factor Biology and Functional Quality.
Review in Life (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Playing by the Rules: A Review of the Modern Regulatory Framework for Regenerative Medicine.Current pain and headache reports · 2026Review
- Temporal Hierarchy of Hydrogels and Orthobiologic Therapies for Knee Osteoarthritis.Gels (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Identification and Integration of LRG1-Induced Differentially Expressed Gene (DEG) Hub Profiles in Breast Cancer Cells.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Anticoagulant-free preparation of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) / fluid platelet-rich fibrin (f-PRF): a pre-clinical comparative performance study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has long been associated with platelet concentration, yet clinical outcomes remain highly variable and frequently inconsistent. This review challenges the assumption that platelet count alone defines PRP efficacy, proposing instead that functional platelet quality and growth-factor bioactivity are equally critical determinants of therapeutic outcomes. Platelets act as carriers of bioactive molecules stored within alpha granules, including growth factors such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which orchestrate the cellular and molecular events of tissue repair. Variations in donor biology, age, metabolic status, and oxidative stress profoundly influence platelet functionality and growth-factor release. Likewise, centrifugation parameters, temperature control, and activation methods dictate whether these mediators are preserved or prematurely exhausted. Collectively, these findings reveal that platelet number alone cannot predict regenerative potency. The future of PRP standardization requires the integration of platelet quality indices, growth-factor quantification, and patient optimization protocols into clinical practice. By shifting focus from platelet enumeration to bioactivity assessment, regenerative medicine can achieve more consistent, personalized, and scientifically accurate outcomes.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.