Storage-dependent oxidative damage in gamma irradiated platelet products

Gamma irradiation (GI) to platelet products is a usual therapeutic procedure for preventing the transfusion associated graft versus host disease (TA-GVHD) in susceptible recipients. Nevertheless, some studies indicate a decrease in platelet recovery after transfusion, associated with higher levels of platelet storage lesion (PSL) in gamma irradiated platelets. In addition, the induction of oxidant stress, especially the increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) following the treatment of platelet products with gamma rays, has been reported in some studies. Therefore, given the known effects of ROS on PSL induction, the review presented here, while introducing different sources of ROS production during storage, also discusses the importance of storage-dependent oxidative stress in platelet products exposed to gamma radiation. For this purpose, studies published in MEDLINE, PubMed and Google scholar were searched for relevant keywords, among which 66 studies were cited in this review.