Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.21.7 (plasmin)
9,023 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a fibrin specific activator for the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, stimulates thrombolysis and rescues ischemic brain by restoring blood flow. However, emerging data suggests that under some conditions, both tPA and plasmin, which are broad spectrum protease enzymes, are potentially neurotoxic if they reach the extracellular space. Animal models suggest that in severe ischemia with injury to the blood brain barrier (BBB) there is injury attributed to the protease effects of this exogenous tPA. Besides clot lysis per se, tPA may have pleiotropic actions in the brain, including direct vasoactivity, cleaveage of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) NR1 subunit, amplification of intracellular Ca++ conductance, and activation of other extracellular proteases from the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family, e.g. MMP-9. These effects may increase excitotoxicity, further damage the BBB, and worsen edema and cerebral hemorrhage. If tPA is effective and reverses ischemia promptly, the BBB remains intact and exogenous tPA remains within the vascular space. If tPA is ineffective and ischemia is prolonged, there is the risk that exogenous tPA will injure both the neurovascular unit and the brain. Methods of neuroprotection, which prevent tPA toxicity or additional mechanical means to open cerebral vessels, are now needed.
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PMID:The neurotoxicity of tissue plasminogen activator? 1535 16

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different doses of exogenous recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) on the endogenous cerebral plasminogen-plasmin system in focal ischemia in rats. Ischemia was induced using the suture model. Each group of rats (n = 6) received either treatment (0.9, 9 or 18 mg rt-PA/kg body weight) or saline (control group) at the end of ischemia; a sham-operated group was added. The activity of the plasminogen activators was measured by casein-dependent plasminogen zymography. In the cortex urokinase (u-PA) rose from sham (no ischemia), 91 +/- 7% to ischemia, 176 +/- 10% (P < 0.005). Increasing rt-PA doses led to further significant (P < 0.001) cortical u-PA activation which was maximal at 18 mg: 249 +/- 13%. An extreme increase in the u-PA activity was observed in the basal ganglia to 1019 +/- 22% (P < 0.001). This increase was further aggravated by higher rt-PA doses (18 mg, 1236 +/- 15%; P < 0.001). The t-PA level did not change I3R24 during (3 h ischemia followed by reperfusion for 24 h); however, during low and moderate doses of rt-PA, endogenous t-PA was reduced. In conclusion, while ischemia leads to a significant increase in u-PA, mainly in the basal ganglia, t-PA is not altered. Increasing doses of rt-PA lead to a further elevation of u-PA. Thus, u-PA seems to play a major role in the endogenous plasminogen activator system following focal cerebral ischemia.
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PMID:Rt-PA causes a significant increase in endogenous u-PA during experimental focal cerebral ischemia. 1557 44

The levels of amyloid beta-peptides (Abeta) in the brain represent a dynamic equilibrium state as a result of their biosynthesis from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta- and gamma-secretases, their degradation by a team of amyloid-degrading enzymes, their subsequent oligomerization, and deposition into senile plaques. While most therapeutic attention has focused on developing inhibitors of secretases to prevent Abeta formation, enhancing the rate of Abeta degradation represents an alternative and viable strategy. Current evidence both in vivo and in vitro suggests that there are three major players in amyloid turnover: neprilysin, endothelin converting enzyme(s), and insulin-degrading enzyme, all of which are zinc metallopeptidases. Other proteases have also been implicated in amyloid metabolism, including angiotensin-converting enzyme, and plasmin but for these the evidence is less compelling. Neprilysin and endothelin converting enzyme(s) are homologous membrane proteins of the M13 peptidase family, which normally play roles in the biosynthesis and/or metabolism of regulatory peptides. Insulin-degrading enzyme is structurally and mechanistically distinct. The regional, cellular, and subcellular localizations of these enzymes differ, providing an efficient and diverse mechanism for protecting the brain against the normal accumulation of toxic Abeta peptides. Reduction in expression levels of some of these proteases following insults (e.g., hypoxia and ischemia) or aging might predispose to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Conversely, enhancement of their levels by gene delivery or pharmacological means could be neuroprotective. Even a relatively small enhancement of Abeta metabolism could slow the inexorable progression of the disease. The relative merits of targeting these enzymes for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease will be reviewed and possible side-effects of enhancing their activity evaluated.
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PMID:Targeting amyloid-degrading enzymes as therapeutic strategies in neurodegeneration. 1568 97

Angiostatin, an inhibitor of tumor angiogenesis, is produced by the actions of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) on plasminogen. Recently, we reported that angiostatin levels are increased in a model of inadequate coronary collateral growth and angiogenesis in response to ischemia, despite high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). We hypothesized that angiostatin levels are negatively associated with collateral formation in patients. Coronary angiograms from 37 patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery were evaluated for the absence of angiographically visible collaterals (Rentrop scores of 0) or the presence of Rentrop classification grade 3 (well developed) collaterals. Pericardial fluid was obtained from each patient during the bypass procedure, and the sample was analyzed for angiostatin, plasminogen, and VEGF (Western analysis) and for combined activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 (zymographic analysis). In patients with no collaterals, angiostatin level was greater compared with that in patients with well-developed collaterals (3.1 +/- 0.2 vs. 2.3 +/- 0.1 optical density units, P < 0.05). Neither MMP activities nor VEGF levels were different between the two groups of patients. The higher levels of angiostatin in patients with no visible collaterals were reflective of a higher concentration of plasmin/plasminogen (6.2 +/- 0.7 vs. 4.2 +/- 0.5 optical density units, P < 0.05) compared with those in patients with well-developed collateral vessels. Our results support the concept that the growth inhibitor angiostatin may have a negative impact on coronary collateral growth in patients. Perhaps therapies attempting to provoke coronary collateral growth should incorporate approaches to limit or neutralize the effects of growth inhibitors.
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PMID:Angiostatin is negatively associated with coronary collateral growth in patients with coronary artery disease. 1584 Sep 2

Ischemic stroke is a sudden loss of circulation to a portion of the brain that results in a loss of neurologic function. Many ischemic strokes are embolic. They result from a thrombus traveling into the central circulation and occluding a blood vessel. Treatment of ischemic stroke with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can improve patient outcomes. However, tPA must be used during a specific time window after the stroke onset to be effective and it risks converting an ischemic stroke into a hemorrhagic one. We explore the basic effects of fibrin-modifying proteases on neurons, astrocytes, and microglia during ischemia. tPA, thrombin, and plasmin can initiate microglial activation and change both neuronal and astrocytic survival. As a result of these functions and of their role in blood homeostasis, all three of these proteases have profound effects on neurons and glial cells in the brain and are capable of altering the development and severity of ischemic stroke.
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PMID:Fibrin-modifying serine proteases thrombin, tPA, and plasmin in ischemic stroke: a review. 1584 99

We studied the possible involvement of the tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA)/plasmin system on both delayed neuronal death in the hippocampus and the associated enhancement of locomotor activity in rats, after transient forebrain ischemia induced by a four-vessel occlusion (FVO). Seven days after FVO, locomotor activity was abnormally increased and, after 10 days, pyramidal cells were degraded in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. FVO increased the t-PA antigen level and its activity in the hippocampus, which peaked at 4 h. Both the enhanced locomotor activity and the degradation of pyramidal cells were significantly suppressed by intracerebroventricular injection of aprotinin, a plasmin inhibitor, at 4 h but not during FVO. These results suggest the importance of the t-PA/plasmin cascade during the early pathological stages of delayed neuronal death in the hippocampus following transient forebrain ischemia.
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PMID:Role of tissue plasminogen activator/plasmin cascade in delayed neuronal death after transient forebrain ischemia. 1588 15

Acute renal failure is often the result of ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Neutrophil influx is an important damaging event in I/R. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) not only is a major fibrinolytic agent but also is involved in inflammatory processes. A distinct upregulation of tPA after I/R, with de novo tPA production by proximal renal tubules, was found. For investigating the role of tPA in I/R, renal ischemia was induced in tPA-/- and wild-type (WT) mice by clamping both renal arteries for 35 min followed by reperfusion. Mice were killed 1, 5, and 10 d after reperfusion. After 1 d, tPA-/- mice displayed significantly less neutrophil influx into the interstitial area compared with WT mice. In addition, tPA-/- mice showed quicker recovery of renal function than WT mice. The protocol was repeated after injection of tPA-antisense oligonucleotides into WT mice, leading to even more explicit results: Antisense-treated mice showed less histologic damage, better renal function, and less neutrophil influx than control mice. Surprising, complement C3 concentration, levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression, and matrix metalloproteinase activity were similar in WT and tPA-/- mice. Plasmin activity levels in WT and tPA-/- kidneys were also comparable, indicating that tPA influences neutrophil influx into ischemic renal tissue independent from plasmin generation. This study shows that targeting tPA could be of therapeutic importance in treating I/R injury by diminishing neutrophil influx and preserving renal function.
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PMID:Tissue-type plasminogen activator modulates inflammatory responses and renal function in ischemia reperfusion injury. 1629 41

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of proteolytic enzymes responsible for extracellular protein degradation in the cardiovascular system. Originally known to play pivotal roles in tissue morphogenesis and wound healing, they have been shown to participate in the complex remodeling processes in blood vessels and the myocardium. The biological activity of MMPs is regulated at different levels: (1) gene expression, (2) activation of precursor proenzyme forms by other MMPs or non-MMP proteins, including thrombin and plasmin, (3) complex formation with surface and extracellular matrix (ECM) components and (4) inhibition by endogenous tissue inhibitors of MMPs, the TIMPs. Murine models with gain or loss of gene function of different MMPs and TIMPS have provided a wealth of experimental data on their critical role in pathological conditions ranging from atherosclerosis, vascular injury, and restenosis to left ventricular function and structural remodeling following chronic pressure and volume overload and ischemia-reperfusion injury.
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PMID:What has been learned about the cardiovascular effects of matrix metalloproteinases from mouse models? 1642 91

Inhibiting the classical pathway of complement activation by attenuating the proteolytic activity of the serine protease C1s is a potential strategy for the therapeutic intervention in disease states such as hereditary angioedema, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and acute transplant rejection. A series of arylsulfonylthiophene-2-carboxamidine inhibitors of C1s were synthesized and evaluated for C1s inhibitory activity. The most potent compound had a Ki of 10nM and >1000-fold selectivity over uPA, tPA, FX(a), thrombin, and plasmin.
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PMID:A novel series of arylsulfonylthiophene-2-carboxamidine inhibitors of the complement component C1s. 1646 Sep 35

Sympathetic neurons synthesize and release tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). We investigated whether t-PA modulates sympathetic activity. t-PA inhibition markedly reduced contraction of the guinea pig vas deferens to electrical field stimulation (EFS) and norepinephrine (NE) exocytosis from cardiac synaptosomes. Recombinant t-PA (rt-PA) induced exocytotic and carrier-mediated NE release from cardiac synaptosomes and cultured neuroblastoma cells; this was a plasmin-independent effect but was potentiated by a fibrinogen cleavage product. Notably, hearts from t-PA-null mice released much less NE upon EFS than their wild-type (WT) controls (i.e., a 76.5% decrease; P<0.01), whereas hearts from plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)-null mice released much more NE (i.e., a 275% increase; P<0.05). Furthermore, vasa deferentia from t-PA-null mice were hyporesponsive to EFS (P<0.0001) but were normalized by the addition of rt-PA. In contrast, vasa from PAI-1-null mice were much more responsive (P<0.05). Coronary NE overflow from hearts subjected to ischemia/reperfusion was much smaller in t-PA-null than in WT control mice (P<0.01). Furthermore, reperfusion arrhythmias were significantly reduced (P<0.05) in t-PA-null hearts. Thus, t-PA enhances NE release from sympathetic nerves and contributes to cardiac arrhythmias in ischemia/reperfusion. Because the risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death is increased in hyperadrenergic conditions, targeting the NE-releasing effect of t-PA may have valuable therapeutic potential.
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PMID:The plasminogen activator system modulates sympathetic nerve function. 1694 Jan 68


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