ANTITHROMBOTIC EFFECTS OF TISSUE-TYPE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR AT PHYSIOLOGICAL BLOOD LEVELS

Effective thrombolysis in human patients and experimental animals by tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) usually requires t-PA plasma levels in the microgram range. Compared to that physiological plasma levels of t-PA are about 100 - 1000 times lower. To investigate the effects of t-PA at physiological blood levels rat studies were performed in vitro and in vivo employing highly purified recombinant single-chain t-PA (sct-PA: 500,000 IU/mg).

t-PA activity in rat whole blood as assessed by dilute blood clot-lysis time (DBC-LT) was increased by addition of sct-PA as low as 3 ng/ml (20 % decrease in DBC-LT). Injection of brady-kinin 10, 100 and 1000 μg/kg i.v. shortened DBC-LT to 54, 23, and 10 % of controls corresponding to the effect of about 10, 30, and 100 ng/ml sct-PA added in vitro. Infusion of sct-PA 15 - 450 μg/kg/h i.v. shortened DBC-LT ex vivo dose-dependently by 20 - 90 % at steady state levels (n = 5). In the same dose range sct-PA inhibited thrombus formation along a silk thread introduced into an arteriovenous shunt in anaesthetized rats. The reduction in thrombus dry weight was dose-dependent amounting to 33 - 67 % of preapplication values (n = 5 - 8) at 15 - 450 μg/kg/h i.v. sct-PA. Already 50 μg/kg/h sct-PA corresponding to a sct-PA activity of about 15 ng/ml displayed a significant (a = 0.05) effect in this model.

The results of this study suggest that t-PA present at physiological resting or activation (bradykinin) levels during acute clot formation may have potent antithrombotic efficacy. This study provides further evidence for the importance of a balance coagulation-fibrinolysis which can be influenced on both sides towards thrombophilia as well as to achieve antithrombotic therapy, e.g. by elevating plasma fibrinolytic activity with low-dose t-PA treatment or with drugs which stimulate the endogenous fibrinolytic potential.