Tissue factor in infection and severe inflammation.
In the pathogenesis of vascular disease, inflammation and coagulation play a pivotal role. Increasing evidence points to an extensive cross-talk between these two systems, whereby inflammation not only leads to activation of coagulation, but coagulation also considerably affects inflammatory activity. Tissue factor (TF) plays an important role at the crossroad of coagulation and inflammation, as the principal initiator of coagulation and an important modulator of inflammation. Proinflammatory cytokines can induce TF expression on mononuclear cells and endothelial cells and thereby commence pathways that lead to thrombin generation. Simultaneously, TF may bind to cellular receptors, which may affect the production and release of inflammatory mediators. There is increasing experimental evidence that TF inhibition may have beneficial effects in disease states in which the combination of coagulation and inflammation plays a prominent role.
Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. m.m.levi@amc.uva.nl
Marcel
M
Levi
Tom
T
van der Poll
Hugo
H
ten Cate
D001777:Blood Coagulation; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013917:Thrombin / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013925:Thromboplastin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
D016207:Cytokines; D013925:Thromboplastin; D013917:Thrombin