Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:3.4.21.73 (urokinase-type plasminogen activator)
 10,685 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The relative fibrinogenolytic, fibrinolytic and thrombolytic properties of human tissue plasminogen activator and human urokinase were compared in purified systems, in whole human plasma and in a system composed of a radioactive human blood clot (125I-fibrinogen) hanging in circulating human plasma. The human tissue plasminogen activator was highly purified from the culture fluid of a human melanoma cell line. In purified systems composed of fibrinogen of fibrin, plasminogen and alpha 2-antiplasmin as well as in whole plasma, tissue plasminogen activator digested fibrin without degrading fibrinogen significantly. Urokinase did not have this specific fibrinolytic effect. In the circulating plasma system, the degree of fibrinolysis was proportional to the amount of activator added, tissue plasminogen activator being about 10 times more efficient than urokinase. In addition, tissue plasminogen activator appeared to cause negligible fibrinogen degradation. Tissue plasminogen activator still induced significant thrombolysis at a concentration of 10 IU per ml whereas no effect of urokinase was observed at 20 IU per ml. Infusion of 100 IU (1 microgram) of tissue plasminogen activator per ml resulted in moderate activation of the fibrinolytic system as judged from a decrease of plasminogen and alpha 2-antiplasmin to 40-50 percent. Nevertheless, extensive fibrinolysis (50 to 80 percent of radioactivity released after 12 hrs) and only very limited fibrinogenolysis were observed. An equivalent amount of urokinase (100 IU per ml) only induced approximately 15 percent lysis in 12 hrs. At higher concentrations of urokinase (260 IU per ml or more) extensive activation of the fibrinolytic system was obtained as evidenced by a depletion of plasminogen, alpha 2-antiplasmin and fibrinogen. This was associated with extensive fibrinolysis (approximately 60 percent after 12 hrs). It is concluded that human tissue plasminogen activator is a more specific and effective fibrinolytic-thrombolytic agent than human urokinase.
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PMID:Comparison of the relative fibrinogenolytic, fibrinolytic and thrombolytic properties of tissue plasminogen activator and urokinase in vitro. 702 39

A simple spectrophotometric assay for the determination of the catalytic efficiency and activity of plasminogen activators is presented. The assay system contains activator, plasminogen, and the chromogenic substrate N-benzoyl-L-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPA). Plasmin production is monitored continuously by the hydrolysis of BAPA under non-steady-state, first-order conditions with respect to plasminogen. Apparent catalytic efficiency constants are calculated from the values obtained for the apparent first-order rate constant of activation. The results obtained with the present method were compared with the catalytic efficiency determined through the measurement of kcat and Km, using a different system, under steady-state conditions. Tissue plasminogen activator in the absence and presence of fibrinogen and high-molecular-weight urokinase were used as model activators. Potential applications are discussed.
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PMID:A spectrophotometric assay for the determination of the catalytic efficiency of plasminogen activators using a slowly hydrolyzed plasmin substrate. 779 22

Endothelial release of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) may initiate fibrinolysis. Fibrinolysis and coagulation were investigated in 12 patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was 108 +/- 7 min (mean +/- SEM), the time of cold, crystalloid, retrograde cardioplegia 53 +/- 5 min. Arterial and coronary sinus blood were sampled concomitantly before cardioplegia and after release of the aortic cross-clamp, for measurement of t-PA antigen (Ag) and activity, plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) Ag and activity, t-PA/PAI-1 complex, single chain urokinase (sc-uPA) and urokinase (uPA) plasminogen activators, the fibrin split product D-dimer, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), and the prothrombin split product F 1 + 2. Cardiopulmonary bypass significantly increased t-PA Ag and activity, t-PA/PAI complex, D-dimer, TAT, and F 1 + 2, and decreased PAI-1 Ag and activity in arterial blood; uPA and sc-uPA were unchanged. The tissue plasminogen activator antigen was higher in coronary sinus than arterial blood after 1 (39 +/- 5 vs 24 +/- 4 ng/ml, P < 0.003), 4 (P < 0.003), and 10 min (P < 0.004) reperfusion. Tissue plasminogen activator activity and t-PA/PAI complex increased, PAI-1 activity decreased, while all other parameters were unchanged across the coronary circulation. In conclusion, CPB induces fibrinolysis and coagulation. Cold cardioplegia induces t-PA release in the coronary circulation, denoting a postischemic antithrombotic function of the coronary endothelium. Tissue plasminogen activator may be used to evaluate endothelial stimulation or injury induced by CPB, or by different regimens of myocardial protection.
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PMID:Fibrinolysis during cardiac surgery. Release of tissue plasminogen activator in arterial and coronary sinus blood. 808 78

To explore the role of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) isoforms and other growth-related genes during prostate morphogenesis in the mouse, we examined mRNA levels in fetal day 17 urogenital sinus, mesenchyme (UGM), and epithelium (UGE) as well as in the ventral, dorsal, and anterior lobes of the adult prostate. In addition, we used antiserum specific for extracellular TGF beta 1 in immunohistochemical studies to localize accumulation of the TGF beta 1 isozyme in the above tissues as well as those derived from fetal day 19 and neonatal mouse prostate. Differential patterns of expression in fetal and adult tissues were seen. TGF beta 1, -beta 2, and -beta 3 expression was substantially elevated in UGM compared to that in UGE, yet only TGF beta 1, not TGF beta 2 or TGF beta 3, mRNA levels were sustained in adult prostate tissues. High levels of accumulation of TGF beta 1 were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in the mesenchymal compartment compared to those in the epithelial compartment throughout development. Interestingly, the highest levels of TGF beta 1 appeared in areas of active epithelial duct formation and delineated the mesenchymal architectural changes necessary for ductal network formation. Additional studies revealed that levels of mRNAs for other genes involved in tissue remodeling and growth were also elevated in UGM compared to those in UGE. Tissue plasminogen activator, urokinase plasminogen activator, androgen receptor, and c-myc mRNA levels were also elevated in UGM compared to UGE. Interestingly, whereas tissue plasminogen activator mRNA levels, like those of TGF beta 2 and -beta 3, were barely detectable in adult prostatic tissues, mRNA levels for urokinase plasminogen activator, androgen receptor, and c-myc were readily detected and expressed in a lobe-specific fashion. Overall, these data indicate that expression of TGF beta 1 isoforms and other growth-related genes is associated with mesenchymal cells in areas of active morphogenesis during prostate development and provide objective molecular and cellular information regarding mediators of mesenchymal-epithelial interactions in prostate.
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PMID:Mesenchymal-epithelial interactions and transforming growth factor-beta expression during mouse prostate morphogenesis. 811 40

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), and streptokinase were evaluated for their ability to reduce postsurgical adhesion formation in a rat uterine horn devascularization and serosal injury model in a blinded, randomized study. Small doses of tPA, uPA, or streptokinase were delivered over approximately a 4-day period either from a biodegradable hydrogel matrix or as four daily intraperitoneal injections. The hydrogel was formed upon the uterine horns by photopolymerization of an aqueous precursor solution containing dissolved drug. A control group that received no treatment had an average extent of adhesion formation of 72 +/- 15% (mean +/- SEM, percentage of the length of the uterine horns involved in adhesions). Application of this formulation of the hydrogel alone reduced the extent of adhesion formation to 22 +/- 10% by functioning as a mechanical barrier. When tPA was released from the hydrogel, adhesion formation was reduced to 4 +/- 3%, while when tPA was given by intraperitoneal injection, adhesion formation was only reduced to 49 +/- 8%. Local delivery of urokinase reduced adhesion formation to 6 +/- 6%, but intraperitoneal injection of urokinase did not reduce adhesion formation. Streptokinase did not reduce adhesion formation when administered by intraperitoneal injection and increased adhesion formation to 45 +/- 9% when locally released relative to the hydrogel alone. These results suggest that both tPA and uPA may be used to prevent adhesion formation when delivered locally.
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PMID:Local release of fibrinolytic agents for adhesion prevention. 853 78

The expression of components of the plasminogen activator system was investigated in patients with oesophageal carcinoma. Tumour and normal mucosa were obtained from resected oesophageal carcinomas and antigens were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Median levels of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and the uPA receptor were higher in carcinoma than in matched normal mucosa (squamous cell carcinoma: uPA 4.05 versus 0.66 ng antigen per mg protein, uPA receptor 1.95 versus 0.50 ng/mg, n = 10, P < 0.05; adenocarcinoma: uPA 2.16 versus 0.61 ng/mg, uPA receptor 2.01 versus 0.49 ng/mg, n = 8, P < 0.05). Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) level was lower than control values in squamous cell carcinoma but not in adenocarcinoma (1.97 versus 4.70 ng/mg, P < 0.05). There was no difference in plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) 1 level between carcinoma and normal mucosa. The PAI-2 level was lower than that in normals in adenocarcinoma only (6.0 versus 64.77 ng/mg, P < 0.05). These data support the hypothesis that membrane-bound uPA has a role in the breakdown of extracellular matrix in invasive oesophageal carcinoma.
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PMID:Plasminogen activators in oesophageal carcinoma. 886 32

The past year has seen tremendous progress in developing new therapies aimed at reversing the effects of acute stroke. Thrombolytic therapy with various agents has been extensively studied in stroke patients for the past 7 years. Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) received formal US Food and Drug Administration approval in June 1996 for use in patients within 3 hours of onset of an ischemic stroke. Treatment with t-PA improves neurologic outcome and functional disability to such a degree that, for every 100 stroke patients treated with t-PA, an additional 11-13 will be normal or nearly normal 3 months after their stroke. The downside of t-PA therapy is a 6% rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and a 3% rate of fatal ICH. Studies are under way to determine whether t-PA can be administered with an acceptable margin of safety within 5 hours of stroke, to evaluate the therapeutic benefits of intraarterial pro-urokinase, and to assess the use of magnetic resonance spectroscopy to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from thrombolysis. Combination thrombolytic-neuroprotectant therapy is also being studied. In theory, patients could be given an initial dose of a neuroprotectant by paramedics and receive thrombolytic therapy in the hospital. We are now entering an era of proactive, not reactive, stroke therapies. These treatments may reverse some or all acute stroke symptoms and improve functional outcomes.
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PMID:Hyperacute stroke therapy with tissue plasminogen activator. 928 41

Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) is expressed by hypothalamic and peripheral sympathetic neurons. The sympathetic axons that permeate artery walls have not been investigated as possible sources of intramural t-PA. The plasmin produced by such a system would locally activate both fibrinolysis and matrix metalloproteinases that regulate arterial collagen turnover. To assess this neural t-PA production, we investigated the capacity of rat cervical sympathetic ganglion neurons to synthesize and release t-PA, and the expression of the enzyme in carotid artery and the iris-choroid microvascular tissues that receive the ganglion axon distribution. Functional studies confirmed that (i) the ganglion neuron cell bodies synthesize t-PA mRNA, (ii) cultured ganglion carotid artery and iris-choroid microvascular explants predominantly release t-PA rather than urokinase, (iii) microvascular tissues release approximately 20 times more t-PA per milligram than carotid explants (which accords with the higher innervation density of small vessels), and (iv) removal of the endothelium did not cause major reductions in the t-PA release from carotid and microvascular explants. Immunolocalization studies then confirmed a strong expression of the enzyme within the ganglion axons, the carotid adventitia that receives these axons, and the predominantly sympathetic axon terminals in the iris-choroid microvasculature. These data indicate the existence of a previously undescribed system for the delivery of neural t-PA to vessel walls. The intramural production of plasmin induced by this system represents a novel principle for the regulation of arterial matrix flexibility, especially in the media of densely innervated small arteries and resistance arterioles involved in the pathogenesis of stroke, hypertension, and vascular aging. Thus, the data suggest an important new interface between neuroscience and vascular biology that merits further exploration.
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PMID:Functional and morphologic evidence of the presence of tissue-plasminogen activator in vascular nerves: implications for a neurologic control of vessel wall fibrinolysis and rigidity. 971 Feb 64

A number of human endothelial cell lines from umbilical cord cells (HUVECs) have been generated by transfection with SV40 large T and small t antigen sequences. Comparison of these lines with primary cultures of HUVECs has been carried out by monitoring the expression of a number of endothelial cell markers with specific regard to cell age. The secreted levels of the protein plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) was found to be significantly reduced in SV40-transfected cells when compared to untransfected controls. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and urokinase (uPA) levels were unchanged. As cells entered crisis, there was a rapid and significant increase in the levels of tPA, uPA, and PAl and this was observed for all clones screened. The endothelial cell marker von Willebrand Factor (vWF) was found intracellularly and was also secreted into the medium. The levels were not altered between transfected and untransfected cells. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity was maintained in cell lines at levels found in nonimmortalized HUVECs. Both isoforms (alpha and beta) of IL-1 (interleukin-1) increased as cells approached crisis, and the presence of these cytokines may be responsible for the increased levels of tPA, PAI, and uPA. With one exception, the ability of the transfected cells to produce prostacyclin (PGI2) was lost by all clones.
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PMID:Umbilical cord endothelial cells expressing large T antigen: comparison with primary cultures and effect of cell age. 1085 46

We report successful treatment of acute severe Budd-Chiari syndrome with portal venous thrombosis. The prognosis of patients with this condition is poor, because the therapeutic options are limited. A 38-year-old woman with polycythemia vera was admitted in a critical condition, and Budd-Chiari syndrome complicated by portal venous thrombosis was diagnosed. Tissue plasminogen activator and urokinase were infused systemically and were partially effective. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting to reduce the high portal venous pressure was performed successfully and, eventually, her general condition improved. Our experience indicates that emergency transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting is an effective therapeutic modality for controlling portal hypertension in patients with severe Budd-Chiari syndrome with portal venous thrombosis.
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PMID:Successful emergency treatment with a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for life-threatening Budd-Chiari syndrome with portal thrombotic obstruction. 1091 43


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