Summary
During the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin in plasma, continuous inactivation
of thrombin by antithrombin occurs, and the accumulation of thrombin is dependent
on the relative amounts of prothrombin and antithrombin. By selectively varying prothrombin
and antithrombin concentrations, it is shown that the maximal thrombin concentration
attained in plasma is directly proportional to the ratio of prothrombin to antithrombin,
and that an increase in antithrombin is the practical equivalent of a decrease in
prothrombin.
