Soluble fibrin species in arterial thrombi.
The aim of this study was to characterize soluble fibrin(ogen) species in human, arterial, in-vivo-formed thrombi, using the immunoblotting technique. Specimens were collected via intra-arterial catheters in six patients scheduled for catheter-directed thrombolysis. Unreduced and reduced samples of the supernatants from the arterial thrombi-derived specimens were electrophoresed on polyacrylamide gels and immunoblotted, using specific mono- and polyclonal anti-fibrin(ogen) antibodies. The reduced samples disclosed substantial amounts of high molecular weight material, consistent with alpha-chain polymers and gammagamma-dimers, as well as lower molecular weight material, such as alpha-, beta- and gamma-chains. No fibrinogen with intact fibrinopeptide A was detectable, and des-AABB fibrin represented a major fibrin derivative in the soluble part of the arterial thrombi. The alpha-chains were C-terminally degraded, most of them distal to position 259. In conclusion, we have demonstrated the presence of cross-linked fibrin derivatives in soluble, arterial thrombus-related material, without signs of fibrinogen-fibrin hybrids. The fibrin derivatives were C-terminally degraded, thus representing X-oligomeric material, most probably originating from plasmin degradation of insoluble thrombus fibrin. The present study supports the hypothesis of a dynamic equilibrium between clotting and lysis in thrombi.
Sandbaek
G
G
Research Institute for Internal Medicine, The National Hospital (Rikshospitalet), University of Oslo, Norway. gunnar.sandbaek@rh.uio.no
Bjørnsen
S
S
Sobel
J H
JH
Nieuwenhuizen
W
W
Matsueda
G
G
Brosstad
F
F
D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001158:Arteries; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D005337:Fibrin / Q000737:chemistry*; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D005344:Fibrinopeptide A / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D012995:Solubility; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D005344:Fibrinopeptide A; D005337:Fibrin; D005340:Fibrinogen