Exosites 1 and 2 are essential for protection of fibrin-bound thrombin from heparin-catalyzed inhibition by antithrombin and heparin cofactor II.
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Assembly of ternary thrombin-heparin-fibrin complexes, formed when fibrin binds to exosite 1 on thrombin and fibrin-bound heparin binds to exosite 2, produces a 58- and 247-fold reduction in the heparin-catalyzed rate of thrombin inhibition by antithrombin and heparin cofactor II, respectively. The greater reduction for heparin cofactor II reflects its requirement for access to exosite 1 during the inhibitory process. Protection from inhibition by antithrombin and heparin cofactor II requires ligation of both exosites 1 and 2 because minimal protection is seen when exosite 1 variants (gamma-thrombin and thrombin Quick 1) or an exosite 2 variant (Arg93 --> Ala, Arg97 --> Ala, and Arg101 --> Ala thrombin) is substituted for thrombin. Likewise, the rate of thrombin inhibition by the heparin-independent inhibitor, alpha1-antitrypsin Met358 --> Arg, is decreased less than 2-fold in the presence of soluble fibrin and heparin. In contrast, thrombin is protected from inhibition by a covalent antithrombin-heparin complex, suggesting that access of heparin to exosite 2 of thrombin is hampered when ternary complex formation occurs. These results reveal the importance of exosites 1 and 2 of thrombin in assembly of the ternary complex and the subsequent protection of thrombin from inhibition by heparin-catalyzed inhibitors. (+info)
Nonanticoagulant heparin prevents coronary endothelial dysfunction after brief ischemia-reperfusion injury in the dog.
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BACKGROUND: Coronary endothelial dysfunction after brief ischemia-reperfusion (IR) remains a clinical problem. We investigated the role of heparin and N-acetylheparin, a nonanticoagulant heparin derivative, in modulating coronary endothelial function after IR injury, with an emphasis on defining the role of the nitric oxide (NO)-cGMP pathway in the heparin-mediated effect. METHODS AND RESULTS: Male mongrel dogs were surgically instrumented, and the effects of both bovine heparin and N-acetylheparin on coronary endothelial vasomotor function, expressed as percent change from baseline flow after acetylcholine challenge, were studied after 15 minutes of regional ischemia of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) followed by 120 minutes of reperfusion. In dogs treated with placebo (saline), coronary vasomotor function was significantly (P+info)
Distinct contributions of residue 192 to the specificity of coagulation and fibrinolytic serine proteases.
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Archetypal members of the chymotrypsin family of serine proteases, such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, and elastase, exhibit relatively broad substrate specificity. However, the successful development of efficient proteolytic cascades, such as the blood coagulation and fibrinolytic systems, required the evolution of proteases that displayed restricted specificity. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), for example, possesses exquisitely stringent substrate specificity, and the molecular basis of this important biochemical property of t-PA remains obscure. Previous investigations of related serine proteases, which participate in the blood coagulation cascade, have focused attention on the residue that occupies position 192 (chymotrypsin numbering system), which plays a pivotal role in determining both the inhibitor and substrate specificity of these enzymes. Consequently, we created and characterized the kinetic properties of new variants of t-PA that contained point mutations at position 192. These studies demonstrated that, unlike in coagulation serine proteases, Gln-192 does not contribute significantly to the substrate or inhibitor specificity of t-PA in physiologically relevant reactions. Replacement of Gln-192 with a glutamic acid residue did, however, decrease the catalytic efficiency of mature, two-chain t-PA toward plasminogen in the absence of a fibrin co-factor. (+info)
Age-related changes in blood coagulation and fibrinolysis in mice fed on a high-cholesterol diet.
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To investigate the pathogenesis of hyperlipidemia-induced atherosclerosis, we examined age-dependent changes in platelet activity, blood coagulation and fibrinolysis in susceptibility to a high cholesterol diet (HCD) feeding in male ICR mice. Pretreatment of platelet-rich-plasma from HCD feeding mice for 3 days with epinephrine (300 microM) resulted in a marked enhancement of adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP: 0.1 microM) or collagen (0.7 microgram/ml)-stimulated aggregation compared with the same in control mice. Yohimbine as alpha 2-adrenergic blocker antagonized these aggregations in a dose-dependent manner. A significant increase in plasma total cholesterol and VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein)-LDL (low-density lipoprotein)-cholesterol and the liver/body weight ratio was observed in mice fed on HCD for 3 months (3-month HCD mice). In the early phase of this experiment, a significant increase in fibrinogen was observed. In the middle phase, increases in the activity of antithrombin III (ATIII) and alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor (alpha 2-Pl) followed. Plasminogen content gradually decreased in both normal diet and HCD mice throughout the experiment. The activity of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) decreased in 3-month HCD mice. Morphological observation of the aortic arch from 3-month HCD mice revealed apparent atheromatous plaques not seen in control mice. These results suggest that 3-month HCD mice can be a convenient hyperlipidemia-induced atherosclerotic model and the changes in platelet activity, coagulation and fibrinolysis in the early phase may be a cause of pathologic changes in this model. (+info)
PPARgamma activation in human endothelial cells increases plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 expression: PPARgamma as a potential mediator in vascular disease.
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Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) is a major physiological inhibitor of fibrinolysis, with its plasma levels correlating with the risk for myocardial infarction and venous thrombosis. The regulation of PAI-1 transcription by endothelial cells (ECs), a major source of PAI-1, remains incompletely understood. Adipocytes also produce PAI-1, suggesting possible common regulatory pathways between adipocytes and ECs. Peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR)gamma is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates gene expression in response to various mediators such as 15-deoxy-Delta12, 14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) and oxidized linoleic acid (9- and 13-HODE). The present study tested the hypotheses that human ECs express PPARgamma and that this transcriptional activator regulates PAI-1 expression in this cell type. We found that human ECs contain both PPARgamma mRNA and protein. Immunohistochemistry of human carotid arteries also revealed the presence of PPARgamma in ECs. Bovine ECs transfected with a PPAR response element (PPRE)-luciferase construct responded to stimulation by the PPARgamma agonist 15d-PGJ2 in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting a functional PPARgamma in ECs. Treatment of human ECs with 15d-PGJ2, 9(S)-HODE, or 13(S)-HODE augmented PAI-1 mRNA and protein expression, whereas multiple PPARalpha activators did not change PAI-1 levels. Introduction of increasing amounts of a PPARgamma expression construct in human fibroblasts enhanced PAI-1 secretion from these cells in proportion to the amount of transfected DNA. Thus, ECs express functionally active PPARgamma that regulates PAI-1 expression in ECs. Our results establish a role for PPARgamma in the regulation of EC gene expression, with important implications for the clinical links between obesity and atherosclerosis. (+info)
Antithrombotic efficacy of thrombin inhibitor L-374,087: intravenous activity in a primate model of venous thrombus extension and oral activity in a canine model of primary venous and coronary artery thrombosis.
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The small molecule direct thrombin inhibitor L-374,087 was characterized across species in an in vitro activated partial thromboplastin clotting time (aPTT) assay and in vivo in rhesus monkey and dog thrombosis models. In vitro in rhesus, dog, and human plasma, L-374,087 concentrations eliciting 2-fold increases in aPTT were 0.25, 1.9, and 0.28 microM, respectively. In anesthetized rhesus monkeys, 300 microgram/kg bolus plus 12 microgram/kg/min and 300 microgram/kg bolus plus 30 microgram/kg/min L-374,087 i.v. infusions significantly reduced jugular vein thrombus extension, with both regimens limiting venous thrombus extension to 2-fold that of baseline thrombus mass compared with a 5-fold extension observed in the vehicle control group. Antithrombotic efficacy in the rhesus with the lower-dose regimen was achieved with 2.3- to 2.4-fold increases in aPTT and prothrombin time. In a conscious instrumented dog model of electrolytic vessel injury, the oral administration of two 10 mg/kg L-374,087 doses 12 h apart significantly reduced jugular vein thrombus mass, reduced the incidence of and delayed time to occlusive coronary artery thrombosis, and significantly reduced coronary artery thrombus mass and ensuing posterolateral myocardial infarct size. Antithrombotic efficacy in the dog was achieved with 1.6- to 2.0-fold increases in aPTT at 1 to 6 h after oral dosing with L-374,087. These results indicate significant antithrombotic efficacy against both venous and coronary arterial thrombosis with L-374,087 with only moderate elevations in aPTT or prothrombin time. The oral efficacy of L-374,087 characterizes this compound as a prototype for the further development of orally active direct thrombin inhibitors. (+info)
Risk of clot formation in femoral arterial sheaths maintained overnight for neuroangiographic procedures.
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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the presence of blood clots in femoral arterial sheaths maintained after cerebral angiography and the effect of heparinized saline on clot formation. METHODS: Twenty-three sheaths were evaluated in 18 patients. Sheaths were maintained for 14 to 80 hours (average, 33 hours; median, 24 hours). After the sheaths were removed, they were vigorously flushed with 60 mL of normal saline and the number and size of clots found in each sheath were recorded. Additionally, patients' age, catheter size, presence of heparin, amount of time the sheath was kept in the artery, and patients' coagulation status were recorded. RESULTS: Clots were found in 17 (74%) of the 23 sheaths. Ten catheters had continuous heparin drip, of which seven (70%) sustained clots. Of the 13 sheaths without heparin, 10 sustained clots (77%). The difference was not statistically significant. The average number of clots was 2.2, and the maximal length of clots ranged from 0.5 to 105 mm. No thromboembolic complications associated with sheath placement were encountered in our patient population. CONCLUSION: Blood clots are present in the vast majority of intraarterial sheaths maintained after cerebral angiography. These clots constitute a risk of thromboembolic complications in the event of repeat angiography. Sheath exchange should be considered before obtaining repeat cerebral angiograms. (+info)
Thrombelastographic changes and early rebleeding in cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding.
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BACKGROUND: Routine coagulation tests do not necessarily reflect haemostasis in vivo in cirrhotic patients, particularly those who have bleeding varices. Thrombelastography (TEG) can provide a global assessment of haemostatic function from initial clot formation to clot dissolution. AIM: To evaluate TEG changes in cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding and their association with early rebleeding. PATIENTS/METHODS: Twenty cirrhotic patients with active variceal bleeding had serial TEG and routine coagulation tests daily for seven days. The TEG variables before the day of rebleeding (n = 6) were compared with those of patients without rebleeding (n = 14). RESULTS: Baseline characteristics of the rebleeding and non-rebleeding groups were comparable apart from a higher incidence of uncontrolled infection on the day of rebleeding in the rebleeding group (p = 0.007). The patients in the rebleeding group were more hypocoagulable before the day of rebleeding as shown by longer r (42 v 24 mm, p < 0.001) and k (48 v 13 mm, p < 0.001) and smaller a (12 v 38 degrees, p < 0.001) compared with the mean of daily results of the non-rebleeding group. Routine coagulation tests, however, showed no significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The results of serial TEG measurements suggest that hypocoagulability may be associated with early rebleeding in cirrhotic patients. (+info)