Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles expressing phosphatidyl serine associate with benign and malignant neoplasia and regional metastasis in dogs: a study of 113 dogs.

PS-positive PEVs are elevated in canine neoplasia and may indicate regional metastatic disease.

This observational cross-sectional study investigated platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (PEVs) and their procoagulant potential in 113 dogs diagnosed with neoplasia (33 benign, 80 malignant) compared to 15 healthy control dogs. PEVs are submicron membrane particles released by activated platelets that carry procoagulant phosphatidylserine (PS) on their surface, potentially contributing to cancer-associated hypercoagulability and disease progression. Flow cytometry was used to quantify total PEV concentrations and PS-positive (PS+) PEVs. While overall PEV concentrations did not differ significantly between neoplastic and healthy dogs, PS+ PEV concentrations were significantly elevated in both benign and malignant neoplasia groups compared to healthy controls. Notably, dogs with regional metastatic disease demonstrated approximately 5 × 10³ PEVs/µL higher PS+ PEV concentrations than other groups, suggesting a potential association between procoagulant PEV activity and metastatic spread. Importantly, platelet-level PS expression did not differ among groups, indicating the elevated PS signal originates specifically from released vesicles rather than activated platelets themselves. These findings suggest that PS+ PEVs may serve as a biomarker of procoagulant activity in canine neoplasia and potentially reflect disease stage, particularly regional metastasis. The study is limited by its cross-sectional design and heterogeneous tumor types. Further prospective studies are warranted to evaluate PS+ PEVs as a clinical staging or prognostic tool in veterinary oncology.

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