Antiplasmin correlates to arterial reactivity in a healthy population of 35-year-old men and women.
OBJECTIVE
To study whether haemostasis function variables correlate with endothelial function and other vasomotion characteristics of the brachial artery in a randomly selected healthy population of 35-year-old men and women.


METHODS
Endothelial function was measured as flow mediated dilatation (FMD) of the brachial artery during reactive hyperaemia and the nonendothelial dependent dilatation after sublingual nitroglycerin (NTG) was administered. Haemostasis and fibrinolysis function were estimated by analysis of von Willebrand factor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, antiplasmin and fibrinogen.


METHODS
A general medicine research centre and a university hospital.


METHODS
Randomly chosen men (n = 53) and women (n = 56).


RESULTS
Univariate correlation analysis showed significant correlations between haemostasis factors, conventional risk factors for cardiovascular disease and indices of vasomotion of the brachial artery. In multivariate analysis, with haemostasis variables and conventional risk factors included, antiplasmin was the strongest explanatory variable for FMD. When antiplasmin was removed from the analysis, the r-value dropped from 0.46 to 0.35. Antiplasmin also correlated with NTG-induced dilatation (positively) and brachial diameter at rest (negatively), albeit less consistently.


CONCLUSIONS
Antiplasmin correlates significantly and independently to FMD, reflecting endothelial function, and also to brachial artery diameter at rest and nitroglycerin-induced dilatation. In multivariate analysis these correlations of antiplasmin to arterial characteristics were stronger than for 'conventional' risk factors, such as smoking, blood pressure and serum cholesterol.
Johansson
J
J
Research Centre of General Medicine, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. jjo@ame.ks.se
Jensen-Urstad
K
K
Jensen-Urstad
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001916:Brachial Artery; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D005342:Fibrinolysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006487:Hemostasis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000494:pharmacology; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000097:blood; D011897:Random Allocation; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000378:metabolism
D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D005340:Fibrinogen; D005996:Nitroglycerin