The aim was to investigate the proteolytic activity of plasmin and its long-term complications. Plasmin was injected into the vitreous cavity of rabbits' eyes. Slit lamp biomicroscopy and electroretinography were performed. Rabbits were serially sacrificed at four months, and globes fixated and prepared for light and transmission electron microscopy. In both the plasmin-injected and control eye...

BACKGROUND Although increased levels of plasminogen activators have been found in psoriatic lesions, the role of plasmin converted from plasminogen by plasminogen activators in pathogenesis of psoriasis has not been investigated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Here we examined the contribution of plasmin to amplification of inflammation in patients with psoriasis. We found that plasminogen wa...

Human complement is inactivated by plasmin, the proteolytic enzyme of plasma or serum active at or near neutrality. The addition of streptokinase to human serum, which converts plasminogen to plasmin, also causes the inactivation of complement components C'2 and C'4 and varying amounts of C'1. C'3 is the most resistant to inactivation by plasmin. Chloroform-activated human plasmin and bovine pl...

The number of dendritic cells is increased in advanced atherosclerotic lesions. In addition, plasmin, which might stimulate dendritic cells, is generated in atherosclerotic lesions. Here, we investigated cytokine and chemokine induction by plasmin in human dendritic cells. In human atherosclerotic vessel sections, plasmin colocalized with dendritic cells and the CC-chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20, M...

The potential of bacterium-bound plasmin to degrade mammalian extracellular matrix and to enhance bacterial penetration through basement membrane was assessed with the adherent strain SH401-1 of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Typhimurium SH401-1 was able to bind plasminogen and to enhance the tissue-type plasminogen activator-mediated activation of the single-chain plasminogen to the ...

Plasmin resulted in increased neutrophil adherence to cultured ovine pulmonary artery endothelial cell monolayers in a concentration-dependent manner (102-40'7 M). The adherence response increased fivefold above baseline within 60 min after addition of plasmin (10-8 M) and the response persisted up to 30 min after removal of plasmin. The neutrophil adherence was mediated by the action of plasmi...

The major terminal enzymatic expression of the fibrinolytic cascade system in vivo is plasmin. This enzyme is piesumed to interact with fibrinogen and fibrin in vivo and is arguably man's major defence against the deposition of fibrin, an important component in the general hazard of thrombosis. Our understanding of the molecular details of plasmin interactions with fibrinogen and fibrin has bee...

AIMS To investigate the ultrastructure of the vitreoretinal interface following plasmin induced posterior vitreous detachment. METHODS Plasmin (1 or 2 U/0.1 ml) was injected into the vitreous cavity of 24 eyes of freshly slaughtered pigs. The 24 fellow eyes received calcium-free and magnesium-free PBS and served as a control. After incubation at 37 degrees C for 30 and 60 minutes, the globes ...

BACKGROUND Chronic anticoagulation is a standard of care in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). However, hemostatic abnormalities in this disease remain poorly understood. Therefore, we aimed to study markers of thrombogenesis and fibrinolysis in patients with IPAH. METHODS We studied 27 consecutive patients (67% female) with IPAH aged 50.0 years (IQR: 41.0-65.0) and 16 control...

Human and animal sera contain a globulin, plasminogen, which in the presence of activators is rapidly converted to plasmin, a proteolytic enzyme active at neutral hydrogen ion concentrations. Activators specific for plasminogen include streptokinase and staphylokinase of bacterial origin, urokinase and plasma activator found in body fluids, and fibrinokinase derived from tissues. Trypsin, an ac...