title: Evidence that changes in fibrinogen quality during acute phase reactions are of major importance for the amount of heparin precipitable fraction (HPF).
abstract: The influence of qualitative and quantitative changes in plasma fibrinogen upon the amount of heparin precipitable fraction (HPF), obtained during the course of acute disease states, were examined. Whereas fibrinogen in plasma includes 3 species of different molecular weights (HMW, LMW, LMW'), fibrinogen in HPF, from normal as well as from "acute phase" plasma, consisted almost exclusively of HMW-fibrinogen (3% SDS-PAGE). Sub-unit chain electrophoresis (10% PAGE-SDS and two-dimensional electrophoresis) did not disclose any signs of abnormalities in the fibrinogen precipitated in HPF. Studies on patients revealed that the composition of plasma fibrinogen changed (increased HMW) during the course of acute myocardial infarction and following hip operations, and indicated that the amount of HPF was governed by the relative amount of HMW-fibrinogen as well total fibrinogen. This assumption was strengthened by quantitating the amount of HPF obtained after addition of highly purified HMW and LMW fibrinogen to normal and "acute phase" plasma. It is concluded that fibrinogen quality (per cent HMW or HMW/LMW ratio) is of major importance for the amount of HPF, thereby explaining some of the HPF-variations seen during the course of acute diseases.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease / Q000097:blood*; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000097:blood*; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000097:blood; D006493:Heparin; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D005353:Fibronectins; D005340:Fibrinogen; D006493:Heparin