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D Collen

Publications and source records attributed to D Collen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

K1K2Pu, a recombinant t-PA/u-PA chimera with increased thrombolytic potency, consisting of amino acids 1 to 3 and 87 to 274 of human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and amino acids 138 to 411 of human single chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA). Purification in centigram quantities and conditioning for use in man.

K1K2Pu, a recombinant t-PA/u-PA chimera with increased thrombolytic potency in animal models of venous and arterial thrombosis, which consists of amino acids 1 to 3 and 87 to 274 of human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and amino acids 138 to 411 of human single chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scu-PA), was produced and conditioned for use in patients. Chinese hamster ovary cells were transfected with an expression plasmid containing the K1K2Pu cDNA, high producer cell lines were selected and scaled up in 800 cm2 roller bottles, and 350 ml conditioned cell culture medium was harvested 3 to 7 times at 2 to 5 day intervals. Batches of 21 +/- 4 liter (mean +/- SD, n = 28) containing 1.8 +/- 0.6 mg/l of K1K2Pu related antigen were purified by chromatography on Copper chelate-Sepharose and immunoadsorption on an insolubilized murine monoclonal antibody (MA-1C8). Yields were 8.6 +/- 3.4 mg K1K2Pu per batch with a specific activity of 83,000 +/- 44,000 IU/mg. The final material, obtained at a concentration of approximately 0.7 mg/ml, was dialyzed against 0.3 M NaCl, 0.02 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.5, containing 0.01% Tween 80 and 10 KIU/ml aprotinin. It was homogeneous on SDS-PAGE, contained 6.5 +/- 6.9 percent two chain material and the contamination with murine monoclonal antibody was less than 0.1 percent. After filtration of pools of 3 to 5 selected batches on 0.22 microns Millipore filters the material was sterile and virus free by routine screening; it was obtained at a concentration of approximately 0.5 mg/ml with a specific activity of 110,000 +/- 16,000 IU/mg (mean +/- SD, n = 3) and an endotoxin content of 0.5 to 7 units/mg. Bolus injection at a dose of 1 mg/kg in mice did not produce weight loss within 8 days. Thus, this material appears to be suitable for the investigation on a pilot scale of the pharmacokinetic and thrombolytic properties of K1K2Pu in patients with thromboembolic disease.

Amino Acid Sequence

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and mutants and chimeras containing the serine protease domain of u-PA.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantitation of natural and recombinant plasminogen activators containing the serine protease domain (B-chain) of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) was developed, based on two murine monoclonal antibodies, MA-4D1E8 and MA-2L3, raised against u-PA and reacting with non-overlapping epitopes in the B-chain. MA-4D1E8 was coated on microtiter plates and bound antigen was quantitated with MA-2L3 conjugated with horseradish peroxidase. The intra-assay, inter-assay and inter-dilution coefficients of variation of the assay were 6%, 15% and 9%, respectively. Using recombinant single-chain u-PA (rscu-PA) as a standard, the u-PA-related antigen level in normal human plasma was 1.4 +/- 0.6 ng/ml (mean +/- SD, n = 27). The ELISA recognized the following compounds with comparable sensitivity: intact scu-PA (amino acids, AA, 1 to 411), scu-PA-32k (AA 144 to 411), a truncated (thrombin-derived) scu-PA comprising AA 157 to 411, and chimeric t-PA/u-PA molecules including t-PA(AA1-263)/scu-PA(AA144-411), t-PA(AA1-274)/scu-PA(AA138-411) and t-PA(AA87-274)/scu-PA(AA138-411). Conversion of single-chain to two-chain forms of u-PA or inhibition of active two-chain forms with plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 or with the active site serine inhibitor phenyl-methyl-sulfonyl fluoride, did not alter the reactivity in the assay. In contrast, inactivation with alpha 2-antiplasmin or with the active site histidine inhibitor Glu-Gly-Arg-CH2Cl resulted in a 3- to 5-fold reduction of the reactivity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Biochemical and biologic properties of rt-PA del (K296-G302), a recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator deletion mutant resistant to plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.

A mutant of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA), obtained by deletion of residues Lys296 to Gly302 [rt-PA del(K296-G302)], was previously shown to be resistant to inhibition by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) (Madison et al, Nature 339:721, 1989). This mutant was obtained by expression of its cDNA in Chinese hamster ovary cells and purification to homogeneity from conditioned cell culture medium. It was obtained as a single chain molecule with amidolytic activity, specific fibrinolytic activity, and binding to fibrin and lysine, which were comparable or somewhat lower than those of wild-type rt-PA obtained in the same expression system. The plasminogen-activating potential of rt-PA del(K296-G302) in the presence of CNBr-digested fibrinogen was about twofold lower than that of wild-type rt-PA. The inhibition rate of rt-PA del(K296-G302) by recombinant PAI-1 (rPAI-1) was more than 500-fold lower than that of wild-type rt-PA. In a human plasma milieu in vitro, rt-PA del(K296-G302) induced dose-dependent lysis of a 125I-fibrin-labeled plasma clot; equi-effective concentrations (causing 50% clot lysis in 2 hours) were 0.28 micrograms/mL and 0.36 micrograms/mL for mutant and wild-type rt-PA, respectively. In this system, addition of rPAI-1 to the plasma resulted in a concentration-dependent reduction of the fibrinolytic potency of rt-PA del(K296-G302) and of rt-PA; a 50% reduction required 2.4 micrograms/mL and 0.15 micrograms/mL rPAI-1, respectively. Continuous infusion of mutant or wild-type rt-PA over 60 minutes in hamsters with a 125I-labeled plasma clot in the pulmonary artery resulted in dose-dependent clot lysis, with a thrombolytic potency (percent clot lysis per milligram of compound administered per kilogram of body weight) and a specific thrombolytic activity (percent clot lysis per microgram per milliliter steady state rt-PA-related antigen level in plasma) that were not significantly different. Bolus injection in hamsters of 1 mg/kg rPAI-1 followed by bolus injection of 1 mg/kg rt-PA del(K296-G302) or wild-type rt-PA resulted in neutralization of the thrombolytic potency of wild-type rt-PA, while the mutant retained approximately half of its thrombolytic potency. These results indicate that rt-PA del(K296-G302), with a known resistance to inhibition by rPAI-1 in purified systems, maintains this property both in a plasma milieu in vitro and in an experimental animal model of thrombolysis in vivo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence

On the molecular interactions between plasminogen-staphylokinase, alpha 2-antiplasmin and fibrin.

The molecular interactions between the plasminogen-staphylokinase complex, alpha 2-antiplasmin and fibrin were studied by measuring the effect of CNBr-digested fibrinogen on the inhibition rate of the plasminogen-staphylokinase complex by alpha 2-antiplasmin. The second-order rate constant for the inhibition of plasminogen-staphylokinase by alpha 2-antiplasmin was 2.7 +/- 0.3.10(6) M-1 s-1 (mean +/- S.D.; n = 7). Addition of CNBr-digested fibrinogen, but not of fibrinogen, resulted in a concentration-dependent reduction of the apparent inhibition rate constant, with a 50 percent reduction at a concentration of 5 nM CNBr-digested fibrinogen. The second-order rate constant for the inhibition of the low-Mr plasminogen-staphylokinase complex (plasminogen lacking the kringle structures comprising the lysine-binding sites) by alpha 2-antiplasmin was about 30-fold lower (9.3 +/- 0.7.10(4) M-1 s-1, mean +/- S.D.; n = 4) than that of plasminogen-staphylokinase and was not affected by addition of CNBr-digested fibrinogen. Inhibition of the plasminogen-staphylokinase complex by the chloromethylketone D-Val-Phe-Lys-Ch2Cl is 9-fold less efficient than that of plasmin (k2/Ki of 700 M-1 s-1 versus 6300 M-1 s-1). Our results confirm and establish that rapid inhibition of plasminogen-staphylokinase by alpha 2-antiplasmin requires the availability of the lysine-binding sites in the plasminogen moiety of the complex. Fibrin, but not fibrinogen, reduces the inhibition rate by alpha 2-antiplasmin by competition for interaction with the lysine-binding site. Protection of the plasminogen-staphylokinase complex bound to fibrin from rapid inhibition by alpha 2-antiplasmin thus appears to contribute to the fibrin-specificity of clot lysis with staphylokinase in a plasma milieu, by allowing preferential plasminogen activation at the fibrin surface, while the free complex is rapidly inhibited in plasma.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones

Modulation of the fibrinolytic response of cultured human vascular endothelium by extracellularly generated oxygen radicals.

Clinical and experimental data indicate that activated oxygen species interfere with vascular endothelial cell function. Here, the impact of extracellular oxidant injury on the fibrinolytic response of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVE) cells was investigated at the protein and mRNA levels. Xanthine (50 microM) and xanthine oxidase (100 milliunits), which produces the superoxide anion radical (O2-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), was used to sublethally injure HUVE cells. Following a 15-min exposure, washed cells were incubated for up to 24 h in serum-free culture medium. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) antigen, and PAI-1 activity were determined in 1.25 ml of conditioned medium and t-PA and PAI-1 mRNA in the cell extracts of 2 x 10(6) HUVE cells. Control cells secreted 3.9 +/- 1.3 ng/ml (mean +/- S.D., n = 12) within 24 h. Treatment with xanthine/xanthine oxidase for 15 min induced a 2.8 +/- 0.4-fold increase (n = 12, p less than 0.05) of t-PA antigen secretion after 24 h. The t-PA antigen was recovered predominantly in complex with PAI-1. The oxidant injury caused a 3.0 +/- 0.8-fold increase (n = 9, p less than 0.05) in t-PA mRNA within 2 h. Total protein synthesis was unaltered by xanthine/xanthine oxidase. The oxidant scavengers superoxide dismutase and catalase, in combination, abolished the effect of xanthine/xanthine oxidase on t-PA secretion and t-PA mRNA synthesis. Xanthine/xanthine oxidase treatment of HUVE cells did not affect the PAI-1 secretion in conditioned medium nor the PAI-1 mRNA levels in cell extracts. Thus extracellular oxidant injury induces t-PA but not PAI-1 synthesis in HUVE cells.

Antigens

Designing thrombolytic agents: focus on safety and efficacy.

Thrombolytic therapy for evolving acute myocardial infarction (AMI) reduces infarct size, preserves ventricular function, and reduces mortality. Intravenous streptokinase is commonly followed by approximately 50% patency of coronary arteries within 90 minutes and by reduction of mortality by 25%. Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is more potent for coronary arterial thrombolysis, producing both more rapid and more frequent recanalization (approximately 75% patency at 90 minutes) with a dose of 100 mg given over 3 hours. Side effects (mainly bleeding) associated with the use of streptokinase and rt-PA are not markedly different. That the higher efficacy of rt-PA would translate into a larger reduction of mortality is suggested by the results of several small trials but remains to be confirmed in well-designed comparative clinical trials. This question has not been adequately answered by the recent International rt-PA/streptokinase mortality trial and the International Study on Infarct Survival (ISIS-3) study, because of concerns with respect to the role of conjunctive intravenous heparin administration and the dose of rt-PA used in ISIS-3. All available thrombolytic agents still have significant shortcomings, including the need for large doses to be maximally efficient, a limited fibrin specificity, and a significant associated bleeding tendency. New developments toward improved efficacy and fibrin-specificity of thrombolytic agents include the use of mutants of rt-PA, chimeric rt-PA or single chain urokinase plasminogen activator molecules, and antibody-targeted thrombolytic agents. Some of these artificial plasminogen activators have a 5- to 10-fold increased potency (thrombolytic activity per unit dose), but whether they are safe enough to be clinically useful remains to be established. The conjunctive use of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents with thrombolytic agents increases their efficacy to an extent that monotherapy with a plasminogen activator alone is no longer tenable. Heparin and aspirin are only moderately efficient for acceleration of lysis and prevention of reocclusion, but are relatively safe. More selective thrombin inhibitors and antiplatelet agents are more potent, but their safety remains to be confirmed. Continued investigation in this area will provide new insights and promote progress toward the development of the ideal thrombolytic therapy, characterized by maximized stable coronary arterial thrombolysis with minimal bleeding.

Clinical Trials as Topic

Correlation between level of heparinization and patency of the infarct-related coronary artery after treatment of acute myocardial infarction with alteplase (rt-PA).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The conjunctive use of intravenous heparin may influence the efficacy of alteplase for coronary thrombolysis in patients with acute myocardial infarction. In this study we examined the relation between the level of intravenous anticoagulation with heparin and sustained coronary artery patency in a subgroup of patients of the European Cooperative Study Group (ECSG) trial. METHODS: In the ECSG trial, patients treated with alteplase and aspirin were randomized to concomitant fixed doses of intravenous heparin (a bolus dose of 5,000 U followed by a continuous infusion of 1,000 U/h or placebo). The current study group comprised 149 of 324 ECSG patients allocated to heparin therapy and 132 of 320 ECSG patients allocated to placebo administration who had both an interpretable coronary angiogram obtained within 6 days of treatment and sufficient plasma samples to assess the level of anticoagulation. Activated partial thromboplastin times, fibrinogen and D-dimer levels were determined on plasma samples at baseline and at 45 min and 3, 12, 24 and 36 h after the start of alteplase administration. RESULTS: The coronary artery patency rate was higher in patients allocated to heparin therapy than in those allocated to placebo (80% and 71%, respectively, p = 0.05). Patients allocated to heparin were classified into three subgroups: 48 patients (32%) with all activated partial thromboplastin times at least twice their own baseline value (optimal anticoagulation), 40 patients (27%) with the lowest activated partial thromboplastin time at 3, 12, 24 or 36 h between 130% and 200% of the baseline value (suboptimal anticoagulation) and 61 patients with at least one activated partial thromboplastin time less than 130% of baseline (inadequate anticoagulation). In the heparin group, coronary artery patency correlated with the level of anticoagulation: 90%, 80% and 72%, respectively, in patients with optimal, suboptimal and inadequate anticoagulation (p = 0.02, optimal vs. inadequate anticoagulation). Heparin administration was associated with a smaller reduction in fibrinogen and a smaller increase in D-dimer level during and after alteplase administration. No correlation was found between fibrinogen or D-dimer levels and coronary artery patency. No intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in these patients; however, bleeding was more frequent in the subgroup with optimal anticoagulation (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Intense anticoagulation with intravenous heparin enhances coronary artery patency after alteplase treatment of acute myocardial infarction.

Adult

Comparative thrombolytic properties of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and K1K2Pu (a t-PA/u-PA chimera) in a combined arterial and venous thrombosis model in the dog.

The chimeric molecule K1K2Pu, comprising the two kringle domains (K1 and K2) of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and the COOH-terminal region with the serine protease domain (Pu) of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA), was previously shown to have a 5- to 10-fold reduced clearance rate with maintained specific thrombolytic activity, resulting in an increased thrombolytic potency in animal models of venous and arterial thrombosis. To document the thrombolytic potential of K1K2Pu, the thrombolytic potency and fibrin specificity were studied in a combined platelet-rich arterial eversion graft thrombosis and venous whole blood clot model in heparinized dogs (100 U/kg bolus and 50 U/kg per h infusion). Dose-response effects of bolus injections of K1K2Pu (0.032 to 0.25 mg/kg) were compared with those of recombinant t-PA (rt-PA) and of recombinant single chain u-PA (rscu-PA) (0.25 to 1.0 mg/kg each) in groups of five or six dogs, each given heparin with or without the thromboxane synthase inhibitor/prostaglandin endoperoxide receptor antagonist ridogrel. Heparin and ridogrel in the absence of a thrombolytic agent did not produce arterial reflow or venous clot lysis in five dogs. Addition of K1K2Pu, rt-PA or rscu-PA resulted in a dose-dependent induction of arterial reflow and of venous clot lysis in the absence of systemic fibrinolytic activation and fibrinogen breakdown. Consistent arterial reflow required 0.063 mg/kg of K1K2Pu and 0.5 mg/kg of rt-PA or of rscu-PA. The thrombolytic potency for venous clot lysis, expressed as percent lysis per mg compound administered per kg body weight, was (mean +/- SEM) 750 +/- 160 for K1K2Pu, 68 +/- 17 for rscu-PA (p less than 0.001 vs. K1K2Pu) and 110 +/- 29 for rt-PA (p less than 0.001 vs. K1K2Pu). The plasma clearance rates were significantly lower for K1K2Pu than for rscu-PA and rt-PA. In the absence of ridogrel, arterial reflow was significantly slower and was followed by cyclic reocclusion and reflow; however, venous clot lysis was unaffected. Template bleeding times were not significantly altered in the absence but were markedly prolonged in the presence of ridogrel. These results confirm and establish that, when given as a bolus injection, K1K2Pu has an approximately 10-fold higher thrombolytic potency for arterial and venous thrombolysis than does rt-PA or rscu-PA. Thrombolysis with K1K2Pu is obtained in the absence of systemic fibrinolytic activation and fibrinogen breakdown. These properties suggest that K1K2Pu offers potential for thrombolytic therapy by bolus administration in patients with thromboembolic disease.

Animals

On the role of coagulation and fibrinolysis in atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is probably caused by multiple interacting factors such as disturbed lipid metabolism; endothelial cell damage, leading to platelet aggregation and monocyte invasion with the release of mitogenic factors; and disorders of fibrin balance, leading to persisting fibrin deposits. Deficient fibrinolysis may (1) predispose to fibrin deposition and contribute to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and (2) contribute to occlusive thrombus formation on fissured plaque, provoking atherothrombosis. Prospective epidemiologic studies have so far not provided definitive evidence that deficient fibrinolysis constitutes a significant risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis. Two recent findings, however, strongly suggest a contribution: (1) Increased lipoprotein(a) levels that reduce tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA)-mediated clot lysis are a clear risk factor for atherosclerosis; and (2) increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels in patients with disturbed glucose tolerance predispose to an accelerated development of atherosclerotic disease. However, deficient fibrinolysis constitutes a risk factor for the development of thrombotic complications (acute myocardial infarction) in patients with coronary artery disease. The potential role of deficient fibrinolysis in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and of atherothrombosis suggests that drugs normalizing deficient endogenous fibrinolysis by either reducing PAI-1 synthesis or by stimulating endogenous t-PA synthesis may be of clinical value. Although regulation of the gene expression of PAI-1 and t-PA is presently under active investigation, no potent specific and safe agents to downregulate PAI-1 or to upregulate t-PA have as yet been identified. Retinoic acid appears to be a specific inducer of t-PA synthesis in human endothelial cells in culture and may constitute a model for the development of drugs that stimulate endogenous t-PA synthesis.

Arteriosclerosis

A randomized placebo controlled trial on the effects of simvastatin, a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, on blood lipids and fibrinolytic parameters.

Coronary artery disease is frequently associated with disturbed blood lipids and with a deficient blood fibrinolytic capacity. In order to investigate a possible link between hypercholesterolemia and hypofibrinolysis, we have investigated the effect of simvastatin, a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, on blood lipids and fibrinolytic parameters in a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study design. Twenty-four male patients, aged between 42 and 65 years, with angiographically confirmed coronary artery disease, were selected from a series of 731 consecutive patients on the basis of a fasting serum cholesterol level of more than 250 mg/dl and a plasma PAI-1 level of more than 60 ng/ml. Patients were randomly assigned to 20 mg of simvastatin daily (Group I), or placebo (Group II), for four weeks, followed by doubling of the dose for another four weeks. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks. Groups I and II did not differ significantly at baseline. As expected, simvastatin produced a significant reduction in serum levels of total cholesterol (33 +/- 12 and 36 +/- 12 percent, mean +/- SD, after 4 and 8 weeks respectively, p less than 0.001 vs baseline), LDL-cholesterol (36 +/- 5 and 43 +/- 6 percent respectively, p less than 0.001 vs baseline) and apolipoprotein-B (20 +/- 29 and 23 +/- 30 percent respectively, p less than 0.05 vs baseline), whereas these parameters did not change significantly in the placebo group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Stimulation by retinoids of tissue-type plasminogen activator secretion in cultured human endothelial cells: relations of structure to effect.

Retinoic acid induces tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) but not plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) expression in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). To further investigate the relation between the structure of the retinoids and their ability to induce t-PA synthesis in vitro, 11 analogues were studied in HUVEC culture. The retinoid analogues were classified into one of three groups according to their t-PA-inducing potential. Group 1 showed little induction (0.9- to 1.9-fold after 48 h) at concentrations between 10(-8) and 10(-6) M. Group 2, which includes all-trans-retinoic acid, induced t-PA threefold to fivefold at 10(-6) M but had little effect at 10(-8) M (less than threefold). Group 3, which comprises arotinoid acid (RO-13-7410) and RO-13-6307, induced t-PA antigen secretion fivefold at 10(-8) M. The retinoids of groups 2 and 3 had a terminal carboxyl group and alkyl substitution of the lipophylic head of the retinoid skeleton. The group 3 retinoids also contained an aromatic ring. The t-PA-inducing activity of these third-generation retinoids correlates to some extent with other activities, including regression of papilloma, keratinization in vivo, and clonal inhibition of tumor cell lines in vitro. Some of the retinoids caused a small but significant (up to 1.5-fold at 24 h) increase in PAI-1 antigen secretion. The group 3 retinoids appear to be sufficiently potent inducers of t-PA secretion to warrant further investigation in in vivo animal models.

Cell Survival

Comparative copper coil-induced thrombogenicity of the internal mammary, left anterior descending coronary, and popliteal arteries in dogs.

The internal mammary artery (IMA) is the graft of choice for coronary artery bypass surgery because of its resistance to atherosclerosis. Studies to elucidate the mechanism of this phenomenon have focused on vasoactive properties of the vessel wall; however, low thrombogenicity might also contribute to the protection of the IMA against atherosclerosis. To test this hypothesis, copper coils 3 mm long were introduced in 14 heparinized dogs into both the IMA and the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) (n = 7) or into both the IMA and the popliteal artery (POP) (n = 7). Arterial patency was monitored angiographically at 15-minute intervals for 4 hours. Occlusion occurred in all LADs and POPs and in 10 of the 14 IMAs. Spontaneous reflow after occlusion occurred in all IMAs and was followed by cyclic reocclusion and reflow in two animals. Short periods of reflow followed by reocclusion occurred in two of the seven LADs and three of the seven POPs. The patency status, categorized as persistent occlusion, reflow followed by reocclusion, reflow without reocclusion, or persistent patency, was significantly different between IMA and LAD (p less than 0.02) and between IMA and POP (p less than 0.04) but not between LAD and POP. Patent arteries at the end of the 4-hour period were observed in all of the 14 IMAs versus none of the seven LADs and two of the seven POPs (p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angiography

Antithrombotic effect of a monoclonal antibody against tissue factor in a rabbit model of platelet-mediated arterial thrombosis.

Activation of the coagulation system by contact of circulating blood with tissue factor, a component of the extrinsic blood coagulation pathway that is produced in the vessel wall, may represent a pathway for the initiation of thrombosis in atherosclerotic vessels. This hypothesis was tested in vivo in a rabbit femoral artery eversion (inside-out) graft model, in which the adventitia, with its tissue factor, was exposed to circulating blood. Intra-arterial infusion of a neutralizing monoclonal antibody against tissue factor (D3) at a rate of 12 mg/kg over 15 minutes prevented thrombosis of a 7-8-mm eversion graft within a 2-hour observation period in four of five rabbits, whereas with a control antibody infusion (MA-15C5), occlusion occurred within 2 hours in five of six rabbits. In vitro immersion before reinsertion of the arterial segment in a solution containing 2 mg/ml of the control antibody for 30 minutes was associated with occlusion in all six rabbits, whereas pretreatment with D3 was associated with persistent patency in three of nine rabbits. Stepwise logistic-regression analysis of the results with perfusion status as the dependent variable and type of antibody (D3 or MA-15C5), application method (infusion versus immersion), and graft segment length as independent variables yielded a significant difference in frequency of occlusion with the two antibodies (p = 0.016). It is concluded that exposure of tissue factor to flowing blood may constitute a trigger mechanism for platelet-mediated arterial thrombosis.

Animals

Plasma fibrinopeptide A levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with alteplase. Correlation with concomitant heparin, coronary artery patency, and recurrent ischemia. The European Cooperative Study Group.

BACKGROUND: Fibrin generation during and after therapy with alteplase may depend on the level of concomitant anticoagulation. The hypothesis that fibrinopeptide A (FPA) levels, as markers of ongoing in vivo fibrin formation, correlate with the angiographic and clinical outcome of thrombolysis is tested. METHODS AND RESULTS: Serial plasma FPA levels were determined in 334 patients of the randomized European Cooperative Study Group trial comparing heparin versus placebo plus alteplase and aspirin in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Median FPA levels (with the 10th to 90th percentiles) were 21 ng/ml (2-390 ng/ml) before treatment in placebo-allocated patients (n = 166) and increased to 49 (15-580), 34 (4-320), 27 (2-240), 29 (2-430), and 30 (3-390) ng/ml after 0.75, 3, 12, 24, and 36 hours, respectively. In heparin-allocated patients (n = 168), median baseline FPA values were 18 ng/ml (2-210 ng/ml) and decreased to 6 (1-110), 5 (1-75), 5 (1-60), 7 (1-100), and 10 (1-170) ng/ml at corresponding time points (p less than 0.0001 for the difference at each time point). Adequate anticoagulation, defined as no activated partial thromboplastin time value below twice the pretreatment value at 3, 12, 24, and 36 hours after initiation of treatment, was obtained in 48 patients assigned to heparin. It was associated with normal median FPA levels (less than or equal to 4 ng/ml) at all time points compared with 12 (2-80), 16 (2-240), and 15 (2-240) ng/ml at 12, 24, and 36 hours, respectively, in heparin-assigned but inadequately anticoagulated patients (n = 102, p less than 0.001 for each time point). In the heparin-treated group, median FPA values tended to be lower at all time points in patients with patent vessels than in patients with occluded arteries, but the difference was significant only at 24 hours (p = 0.04). FPA levels did not correlate with clinically apparent recurrent ischemia or with left ventricular thrombosis on two-dimensional echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS: During and after thrombolytic therapy with alteplase, the enhanced fibrin generation is suppressed by sustained concomitant anticoagulation with intravenous heparin. Adequate anticoagulation warrants individual titration of the heparin dose. High plasma FPA levels 24 hours after alteplase therapy are specific but insensitive markers of vessel occlusion in anticoagulated patients. They do not correlate with clinical outcome.

Coronary Vessels

Comparative antithrombotic effects of heparin, recombinant hirudin and argatroban in a hamster femoral vein platelet-rich mural thrombosis model.

The antithrombotic properties of bolus i.v. injections of heparin, of recombinant hirudin (r-hirudin) or of the synthetic competitive thrombin inhibitor Argatroban were investigated in a quantitative hamster femoral vein platelet-rich mural thrombosis model. Heparin at a dose of 100 U/kg prolonged the activated partial thromboplastin time from 26 +/- 15 to 177 +/- 45 sec (P = .001), but did not significantly inhibit platelet-rich thrombus formation (7 +/- 44% inhibition, P = NS vs. placebo). However, 400 U/kg of heparin produced total inhibition of thrombus formation (101 +/- 14+, P less than .06 vs. control). R-hirudin and argatroban inhibited thrombus formation in a dose-dependent manner: 50% inhibition was obtained with 1.4 mg/kg for r-hirudin and with 2.0 mg/kg for Argatroban. A linear correlation was observed between the percentage of inhibition of thrombus formation vs. Activated partial thromboplastin time (r = 0.57, P = .003 for r-hirudin and r = 0.66, P = .002 for Argatroban). These results suggest that thrombin plays a pivotal role in platelet-rich mural thrombus formation, that this small animal model may be useful for investigation of the pharmacodynamics of synthetic thrombin inhibitors and that platelet-rich thrombus formation is inhibited effectively by heparin, r-hirudin and Argatroban. However, r-hirudin and Argatroban cause less profound changes in the coagulant function at doses that inhibit platelet-rich thrombus formation than heparin.

Animals