title: Evolution of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) in orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).
abstract: In orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) hyperfibrinolysis seems to be of causative importance for intra- and postoperative bleeding. Although recently hyperfibrinolysis has been successfully reduced by intraoperative aprotinin treatment, small increases of fibrinolysis still remain during OLT. Originally, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) was considered to be responsible for the increases, but the efficacy of aprotinin which inhibits besides plasmin also kallikrein and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) suggested also a role for the intrinsic and contact system-dependent plasminogen activators. We investigated the role of u-PA. From 29 patients undergoing OLT with intraoperative aprotinin infusion arterial blood samples were taken at 7 different time points. The preoperative median values for u-PA antigen (u-PA Ag) and plasmin-activatable single-chain u-PA (scu-PA) levels, which were more than 2-fold above normal (both: p < 0.01), decreased slightly during the preanhepatic phase and remained unchanged during the anhepatic phase. With reperfusion of the graft liver the two levels decreased significantly (p = 0.0003 and p = 0.006, respectively) to almost normal values, probably due to clearance by the graft liver. Active two-chain u-PA (tcu-PA) was preoperatively 2-fold above the detection limit, remained stable during the preanhepatic phase and increased 2-fold in the anhepatic phase (p = 0.0018). As expected tcu-PA also relapsed upon reperfusion, but to the preoperatively enhanced level, possibly caused by sustained activation of scu-PA by cathepsin B. t-PA activity levels were at the upper end of the normal range preoperatively, slightly increased during preanhepatic and anhepatic phases and decreased significantly with reperfusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Rudolf Virchow, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Himmelreich
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dooijewaard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Breinl
authors.forename: W O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Bechstein
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kluft
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Riess
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator