Inhibitory effect of dextran 40 upon thrombin-induced fibrin deposition in rat lungs

The effect of dextran 40 upon thrombin-induced fibrin deposition in rat lungs was studied. A quantitative method employing isotope-labelled fibrinogen was used to determine the amount of fibrin in the lungs. It was shown that pretreatment was dextran 40 suppressed the accumulation of fibrin in the lungs after injection of thrombin. This was not due to redistribution of the fibrin to other organs but appeared to be a result of decreased intravascular coagulation. It seemed unlikely that the finding could be explained by an effect of dextran upon fibrinolysis.