This week’s episode reviews a 2025 JAVMA paper by Fernandez and Kieves evaluating how centrifugation force and spin time affect platelet, leukocyte, RBC, and growth factor concentrations in canine PRP prepared with the ACP Max system.
Listen anywhere you get your podcasts…
Why This Matters
PRP protocols vary widely, and small processing changes can significantly alter what ends up in the syringe. Platelet concentration, leukocyte reduction, RBC contamination, and activation state all influence the biological profile of PRP.
Understanding how spin settings impact the final product helps clinicians interpret studies — and make informed decisions in practice.
Study Overview
Twelve healthy dogs were included. In Phase II (6 dogs), four first-spin protocols were compared:
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2,420 × g for 6 minutes
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2,696 × g for 6 minutes
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2,420 × g for 9 minutes
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2,696 × g for 9 minutes
A standardized second spin was used for all groups.
All protocols produced leukocyte-poor, RBC-reduced PRP.
Findings From the Literature
Platelet concentration increased across protocols, but statistically significant increases occurred only at 2,420 × g.
The strongest platelet yield occurred at 2,420 × g for 9 minutes, reaching approximately 3.9× baseline.
PDGF-ββ significantly increased only with the 2,420 × g for 9 minute protocol.
TGF-β1 increased across all protocols.
VEGF-α, IGF-1, and IL-1RA did not differ meaningfully from whole blood.
Importantly, growth factor testing involved freeze–thaw handling, which activates platelets and may influence measured concentrations.
Final Thoughts
This study reinforces that “more force” isn’t necessarily better. In this dataset, a lower spin force with a longer duration performed best for platelet yield and PDGF-ββ concentration.
However, this was an optimization study within a single system — not a comparison of PRP systems overall. The broader canine literature continues to show that PRP products vary substantially between devices, and activation state can influence growth factor delivery as much as platelet concentration alone.
Message of the day: know what’s in your syringe.
If you’re interested in the full paper, download it here. For questions or further discussion, reach out to adrienne@ardentanimalhealth.com.
