Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Experimental and Imaging Techniques for Examining Fibrin Clot Structures in Normal and Diseased States
Published on: April 1, 2015
Mechanisms of fibrinogen-induced microvascular dysfunction during cardiovascular disease
D Lominadze1, W L Dean, S C Tyagi
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA. dglomi01@louisville.edu
Abstract:
Fibrinogen (Fg) is a high molecular weight plasma adhesion protein and a biomarker of inflammation. Many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders are accompanied by increased blood content of Fg. Increased levels of Fg result in changes in blood rheological properties such as increases in plasma viscosity, erythrocyte aggregation, platelet thrombogenesis, alterations in vascular reactivity and compromises in endothelial layer integrity. These alterations exacerbate the complications in peripheral blood circulation during cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and stroke. In addition to affecting blood viscosity by altering plasma viscosity and erythrocyte aggregation, growing experimental evidence suggests that Fg alters vascular reactivity and impairs endothelial cell layer integrity by binding to its endothelial cell membrane receptors and activating signalling mechanisms. The purpose of this review is to discuss experimental data, which demonstrate the effects of Fg causing vascular dysfunction and to offer possible mechanisms for these effects, which could exacerbate microcirculatory complications during cardiovascular diseases accompanied by increased Fg content.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Clot Retraction and Fibrinolysis
Anticoagulant Drugs: Low-Molecular-Weight Heparins
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Pathways of Hemostasis
The Extrinsic Pathway
The extrinsic pathway of coagulation is typically initiated by tissue damage that exposes blood to tissue factor (TF), a protein released by the damaged tissue cells outside the blood vessels—this interaction with TF triggers biochemical reactions involving specific clotting factors. The key player here is Factor VII, which forms a...
Coronary Artery Disease II: Pathophysiology
Venous Thrombosis I: Introduction
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Some...

