fibrin and Hypertension--Pulmonary

Topics: Fibrin; Fibrinolysis; Fibrinolytic Agents; Histone Acetyltransferases; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Risk Factors; TATA-Binding Protein Associated Factors; Transcription Factor TFIID; Venous Thromboembolism

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is an acute lung injury believed to result primarily from surfactant deficiency in the immature lung. Although surfactant replacement therapy has improved the outcome of this disease, RDS remains a major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Preliminary experimental evidence suggests that unopposed intravascular thrombin activity may contribute to the progression of RDS by promoting high permeability pulmonary oedema and pulmonary hypertension. In the extravascular lung compartment, polymerizing fibrin may inhibit surfactant function. In addition, interstitial and alveolar thrombin formation and resulting fibrin deposition may contribute to the development of chronic lung disease through amplification of inflammation and fibrosis. There is good evidence that extravascular coagulation occurs during the course of RDS. Fibrin is a major component of the hyaline membranes, which are a hallmark of acute lung injury, and which can be regarded as locally produced clots. It has been less certain whether neonatal RDS is also associated with intravascular activation of the coagulation system. Although low levels of antithrombin III (AT III) have been reported in infants with RDS, direct evidence of increased intravascular thrombin formation has been lacking. However, recently, plasma concentrations of thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complexes have been measured in infants with RDS and correlated with RDS severity. TAT formation was significantly increased in severe neonatal RDS, while free AT III activity was decreased. These data are consistent with increased thrombin generation and resulting AT III consumption. Therefore, to regulate thrombin activity, infants with severe RDS may benefit from replacement therapy with AT III concentrate. This hypothesis has been strengthened by experiments that have demonstrated the efficacy of thrombin inhibition in several animal models of acute lung injury. However, controlled clinical trials will be required to determine whether thrombin is just a coincidental marker of neonatal RDS, or whether unopposed thrombin activity exacerbates the disease process.

Topics: Animals; Antithrombin III; Antithrombin III Deficiency; Clinical Trials as Topic; Fibrin; Fibrinolytic Agents; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Infant, Newborn; Pulmonary Edema; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn; Thrombin

In situ thrombus formation is one of the major pathological features of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The mechanism of in situ thrombosis has not been clearly identified. Fibrinogen-like protein 2 (FGL2) prothrombinase is an immune coagulant that can cleave prothrombin to thrombin, which then converts fibrinogen into fibrin. This mechanism triggers in situ thrombus formation directly, bypassing both the intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation pathways. FGL2 prothrombinase is mainly expressed in endothelial cells and mediates multiple pathological processes. This implies that it may also play a role in PH. In this study, we examined the expression of FGL2 in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) patients, and in monocrotaline-induced rat and hypoxia-induced mouse PH models.

Topics: Aged; Animals; Apoptosis; Disease Models, Animal; Down-Regulation; Endothelial Cells; Endothelium, Vascular; Fibrin; Fibrinogen; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Middle Aged; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Signal Transduction; Thromboplastin; Up-Regulation

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a fatal disease that is distinct from pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Although CTEPH is characterized by obstruction of major pulmonary artery because of chronic thrombus, it remains unclear whether CTEPH is associated with prothrombotic condition.. In addition to conventional markers, GTP-bound levels of Rap1, RhoA, RalA, Rac1, and Ras in platelets, which are implicated for platelet activation, were measured in patients without pulmonary hypertension (non-PH, n=15), patients with PAH (n=19), and patients with CTEPH (n=25). Furthermore, the responsiveness to ex vivo thrombin stimulation was also evaluated. The ratios of the P-selectin positive platelets in the non-PH patients, patients with PAH, and patients with CTEPH were 1.40% (median and interquartile range, 0.83-1.82), 2.40% (1.80-3.39), and 2.63% (1.90-8.22), respectively (non-PH versus CTEPH, P<0.01). The activated GPIIb/IIIa-positive platelets were 6.01% (1.34-7.87), 11.39% (5.69-20.86), and 9.74% (7.83-24.01), respectively (non-PH versus CTEPH, P=0.01). GTP-bound RhoA was 1.79% (0.94-2.83), 4.03% (2.01-5.14), and 2.01% (1.22-2.48), respectively (non-PH versus PAH, P=0.04), and GTP-bound RalA was 1.58% (1.08-2.11), 3.02% (2.03-3.54), and 2.64% (1.42-4.28), respectively (non-PH versus PAH, P=0.023; non-PH versus CTEPH, P=0.048). In contrast, Rac1, Rap1, or Ras was not activated in any groups. The platelets of patients with CTEPH exhibited hyperresponsiveness to ex vivo thrombin stimulation compared with those of non-PH patients when evaluated for the surface markers. Either D-dimer or fibrin degradation product level was not increased in patients with CTEPH.. These results provide the first direct evidence that platelets of patients with CTEPH are highly activated and exhibit hyperresponsiveness to thrombin stimulation.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Blood Platelets; Case-Control Studies; Chronic Disease; Female; Fibrin; Hemodynamics; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Male; Middle Aged; P-Selectin; Platelet Activation; Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex; Pulmonary Embolism; ral GTP-Binding Proteins; Regression Analysis; rhoA GTP-Binding Protein; Thrombin

Polymorphisms are associated with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), but no polymorphism specific to CTEPH but not PTE has yet been reported. Fibrin resistance is associated with CTEPH, but the mechanism has not been elucidated.. Polymorphisms were analyzed in 101 CTEPH subjects, 102 PTE subjects and 108 healthy controls by Massarray or restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Plasmin-mediated cleavage of fibrin was characterized in 69 subjects (29 with CTEPH, 21 with PTE and 19 controls).. Genotype frequencies and allele frequencies of fibrinogen Aα Thr312Ala were significantly higher in CTEPH subjects than in controls and PTE subjects, while there was no difference between PTE subjects and controls. The odd ratio (OR 2.037) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI, 1.262-3.289) showed that Thr312Ala polymorphism was a risk factor for CTEPH but not PTE. Fibrin from CTEPH subjects was more resistant to lysis than that from PTE subjects and controls. Fibrin resistance was significantly different between Aα Thr312Ala (A/G) genotypes within CTEPH subjects, and the fibrin with GG genotype was more resistant than that with AA and AG genotype.. Fibrinogen Aα Thr312Ala (A/G) polymorphism was associated with CTEPH, but not PTE, suggesting that the fibrinogen Aα Thr312Ala polymorphism may act as a potential biomarker in identifying CTEPH from PTE. GG genotype polymorphism contributes to CTEPH through increasing fibrin resistance, implying that PTE subjects with fibrinogen Aα GG genotype may need long-term anticoagulation therapy.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Chronic Disease; Female; Fibrin; Fibrinogen; Fibrinolysis; Gene Frequency; Genotype; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Male; Middle Aged; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Pulmonary Embolism; Young Adult

Mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are poorly understood. This disorder is characterized by incomplete resolution of pulmonary perfusion defects resulting from acute venous thromboembolism. We previously identified several dysfibrinogenemias in some patients with CTEPH. The purpose of this study was to determine whether fibrin clot architecture might be implicated in the thrombolytic resistance in patients with these CTEPH-associated dysfibrinogenemias.. Purified fibrinogen from patients and healthy controls was clotted with thrombin in the presence of calcium. Clot turbidity, porosity, and susceptibility to fibrinolysis were evaluated by spectrophotometric and permeation analyses. Fibrin network structure was assessed by laser-scanning confocal microscopy.. Compared to normal fibrinogen, CTEPH-associated dysfibrinogenemias exhibited low clot turbidity, decreased porosity, and fibrinolytic resistance. In addition, the dysfibrinogenemias exhibited a more disorganized fibrin network structure characterized by thinner fibers, greater network dispersal and more extensive fiber branching.. Abnormal clot architecture and fibrinolytic resistance may contribute to incomplete clot resolution following acute venous thromboembolism in patients with CTEPH-associated dyfibrinogenemia.

Topics: Afibrinogenemia; Case-Control Studies; Cohort Studies; Fibrin; Fibrinogen; Fibrinolysis; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Microscopy, Confocal; Models, Molecular; Protein Conformation; Thrombosis

Evidence suggests a role of both innate and adaptive immunity in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The complement system is a key sentry of the innate immune system and bridges innate and adaptive immunity. To date there are no studies addressing a role for the complement system in pulmonary arterial hypertension.. Immunofluorescent staining revealed significant C3d deposition in lung sections from IPAH patients and C57Bl6/J wild-type mice exposed to three weeks of chronic hypoxia to induce pulmonary hypertension. Right ventricular systolic pressure and right ventricular hypertrophy were increased in hypoxic vs. normoxic wild-type mice, which were attenuated in C3-/- hypoxic mice. Likewise, pulmonary vascular remodeling was attenuated in the C3-/- mice compared to wild-type mice as determined by the number of muscularized peripheral arterioles and morphometric analysis of vessel wall thickness. The loss of C3 attenuated the increase in interleukin-6 and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in response to chronic hypoxia, but not endothelin-1 levels. In wild-type mice, but not C3-/- mice, chronic hypoxia led to platelet activation as assessed by bleeding time, and flow cytometry of platelets to determine cell surface P-selectin expression. In addition, tissue factor expression and fibrin deposition were increased in the lungs of WT mice in response to chronic hypoxia. These pro-thrombotic effects of hypoxia were abrogated in C3-/- mice.. Herein, we provide compelling genetic evidence that the complement system plays a pathophysiologic role in the development of PAH in mice, promoting pulmonary vascular remodeling and a pro-thrombotic phenotype. In addition we demonstrate C3d deposition in IPAH patients suggesting that complement activation plays a role in the development of PAH in humans.

Topics: Animals; Arterioles; Biomarkers; Cell Proliferation; Chronic Disease; Complement C3; Complement C3a; Complement C5a; Endothelium, Vascular; Fibrin; Gene Deletion; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Hypoxia; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle; Platelet Activation; Pulmonary Artery; Thromboplastin; Up-Regulation

Reportedly, fibrin isolated from patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is resistant to lysis. Persistence of regions within the fibrin beta chain, which mediate cell signaling and migration, could trigger the organization of pulmonary thromboemboli into chronic intravascular scars.. Ascertain whether fibrin resistance to lysis occurs in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PAH) other than CTEPH, and in those with prior pulmonary embolism (PE) and no pulmonary hypertension.. Fibrinogen was purified from 96 subjects (17 with CTEPH, 14 with PAH, 39 with prior PE, and 26 healthy control subjects) and exposed to thrombin to obtain fibrin clots. Plasmin-mediated cleavage of fibrin beta chain was assessed hourly over a 6-hour period by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Fibrin band intensity was measured by densitometry of stained gels. Data were normalized to the band intensity of the undigested protein.. By 1 hour of digestion, fibrin band intensity had decreased by a median of 25% (interquartile range [IQR], 20 to 27%) in control subjects, and by 15% (IQR, 11 to 18%) in patients with prior PE (P < 0.0001). The 1-hour median reduction in band intensity was 2% (IQR, 1 to 3%) in CTEPH, and 4% (IQR, 2 to 7%) in PAH (P < 0.0001 vs. control subjects and PE). The decline in fibrin band intensity remained significantly different among the four groups up to 6 hours (P < 0.0001).. Fibrin resistance to lysis occurs in pulmonary hypertension other than CTEPH and, to a smaller extent, in patients with prior PE and no pulmonary hypertension.

Topics: Adult; Blood Protein Electrophoresis; Echocardiography; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Female; Fibrin; Fibrinolysis; Hemodynamics; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Male; Middle Aged; Pulmonary Embolism

The mechanism by which chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) develops after acute pulmonary thromboembolism is unknown. We previously reported that fibrin from CTEPH patients is relatively resistant to fibrinolysis in vitro. In the present study, we performed proteomic, genomic, and functional studies on fibrin(ogen) to investigate whether abnormal fibrin(ogen) might contribute to the pathogenesis of CTEPH. Reduced and denatured fibrinogen from 33 CTEPH patients was subjected to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Fibrinogen from 21 healthy controls was used to distinguish atypical from commonly occurring mass peaks. Atypical peaks were further investigated by targeted genomic DNA sequencing. Five fibrinogen variants with corresponding heterozygous gene mutations (dysfibrinogenemias) were observed in 5 of 33 CTEPH patients: Bbeta P235L/gamma R375W, Bbeta P235L/gamma Y114H, Bbeta P235L, Aalpha L69H, and Aalpha R554H (fibrinogens(San Diego I-V)). Bbeta P235L was found in 3 unrelated CTEPH patients. Functional analysis disclosed abnormalities in fibrin polymer structure and/or lysis with all CTEPH-associated mutations. These results suggest that, in some patients, differences in the molecular structure of fibrin may be implicated in the development of CTEPH after acute thromboembolism.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Blood Coagulation Disorders, Inherited; DNA Mutational Analysis; Female; Fibrin; Fibrinogen; Fibrinogens, Abnormal; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Male; Middle Aged; Mutation; Polymorphism, Genetic; Prevalence; Pulmonary Embolism

Topics: Anemia, Sickle Cell; Endothelial Cells; Fibrin; Flow Cytometry; Hemolysis; Hemostasis; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Inflammation; Models, Biological; Monocytes; Thrombophilia

Although acute pulmonary embolism is epidemiologically associated with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, the factors responsible for resistance to thrombolysis and a shift toward vascular remodeling within the pulmonary arteries of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension are unknown.. Determine whether fibrin from patients is more resistant to plasmin-mediated lysis than fibrin from healthy control subjects.. Fibrinogen purified from patients and control subjects was used to prepare fibrin clots, which were subsequently digested with plasmin for various periods of time. The degradation of the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-chains of fibrin and the appearance of peptide fragments over time were assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting.. Densitometry of Coomassie-stained gels revealed significantly slower cleavage of all three polypeptide chains of fibrin from patients compared with control subjects (p < 0.05). In particular, release of N-terminal fragments from the beta-chain of fibrin, which promote cell signaling, cell migration, and angiogenesis, was retarded in patients compared with control subjects (p < 0.01).. The relative resistance of patient fibrin to plasmin-mediated lysis may be due to alterations in fibrin(ogen) structure affecting accessibility to plasmin cleavage sites. The persistence of structural motifs of fibrin, such as the beta-chain N-terminus, within the pulmonary vasculature could promote the transition from acute thromboemboli into chronic obstructive vascular scars.

Topics: Adult; Aged; alpha-2-Antiplasmin; Case-Control Studies; Female; Fibrin; Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; Fibrinogen; Fibrinolysin; Fibrinolysis; Fibrinolytic Agents; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Male; Middle Aged; Plasminogen; Pulmonary Embolism; Thrombolytic Therapy

The rapid development of pulmonary edema that may occur in the rabbit after the intracisternal injection of a mixture of fibrinogen and thrombin has classically been considered to result from a vagally mediated increase in vascular permeability (G. R. Cameron and S. N. De, J. Pathol. Bacteriol 61: 375, 1949) and to not be dependent on hemodynamic mechanisms. We tested this hypothesis by evaluating the relationship between the degree of pulmonary hypertension and postmortem extravascular lung water content (EVLW) in both nonvagotomized (n = 10) and vagotomized (n = 7) rabbits administered thrombin (0.1 ml, 500 U/ml) and fibrinogen (1 ml, 27 mg/ml) intracisternally. No increase in EVLW was observed in either group unless pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa) exceeded 25 Torr, and large increases in EVLW were only observed at higher Ppa's. These results thus indicate that some degree of pulmonary hypertension is required for the development of this form of edema. Because the vascular pressure required to produce edema in this model approaches that required to increase pulmonary vascular permeability in the rabbit, a pressure-dependent increase in permeability may be a common characteristic of neurogenic pulmonary edema in this species. Vagotomy had no protective effect but instead appeared to increase the amount of edema development for a given degree of pulmonary hypertension.

Topics: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Blood Pressure; Capillary Permeability; Female; Fibrin; Fibrinogen; Hemodynamics; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Male; Pulmonary Edema; Rabbits; Thrombin; Vagotomy; Vagus Nerve

Seventy-five intimal arterial thickenings (from 58 subjects) related to pulmonary emboli were examined. Many showed residua derived from the emboli (fibrin, platelets, haemosiderin) and proliferation of elastica and smooth muscle cells. Features resembling those of atherosclerosis were the frequent presence of extracellular lipid and apolipoprotein-B containing lipoproteins (LpB) which corresponded closely in distribution; and (in about 40% of the thickenings) collections of fat-filled (foam) cells. Platelet antigens were often detected within foam cells in some cases, in company with LpB. The results indicate that at least some intimal thickenings originating from pulmonary emboli undergo transformation to atherosclerotic plaques. The role of pulmonary hypertension in the process was investigated. Mechanisms relevant to this transformation and to theories of atherogenesis are discussed.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Apolipoproteins B; Arteriosclerosis; Blood Platelets; Female; Fibrin; Fibrinogen; Foam Cells; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Lipid Metabolism; Lung Diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Pulmonary Embolism; Time Factors

Investigations were carried out to determine the lung lesions responsible for the development of pulmonary heart disease, cor pulmonale, in rats treated with monocrotaline pyrrole or monocrotaline. Animals with right ventricular hypertrophy showed microscopic lung alterations consisting of alveolar edema; fibrin thrombi with partial to complete occlusion of arteries, arterioles, capillaries, and veins; connective tissue proliferation of alveolar septae; cellular hyperplasia of septae; and medial hypertrophy of arterioles. Due to the high incidence of fibrin thrombi in animals with right ventricular hypertrophy, we believe that formation of fibrin thrombi plays a decisive role in the development of chemically induced cor pulmonale.

Topics: Animals; Cardiomegaly; Endothelium; Fibrin; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Lung; Male; Monocrotaline; Pulmonary Embolism; Pulmonary Heart Disease; Pyrroles; Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids; Rats

Topics: Adult; Appetite Depressants; Electrocardiography; Female; Fibrin; Humans; Hyperplasia; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Obesity; Pulmonary Artery; Radiography, Thoracic

Topics: Diagnosis, Differential; Embolism, Fat; Fibrin; Heparin; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Injections, Intravenous; Pulmonary Embolism; Time Factors

Topics: Aneurysm; Female; Fibrin; Heart Defects, Congenital; Histological Techniques; Humans; Hyperplasia; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Lung; Male; Pulmonary Artery

Topics: Arteriosclerosis; Collagen; Diabetes Mellitus; Fibrin; Geriatrics; Humans; Hyalin; Hypertension; Hypertension, Malignant; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Mitral Valve Stenosis; Pathology; Pyelonephritis