Effects of alpha2-plasmin inhibitor on fibrin clot lysis. Its comparison with alpha2-macroglobulin

The major plasmin inhibitors namely alpha2-plasmin inhibitor and alpha2-macroglobulin were compared for their effects on lysis of fibrin clot. Plasmin fibrinolytic activity was immediately inhibited by alpha2-plasmin inhibitor, whereas alpha2-macroglobulin inhibited plasmin progressively. Urokinase(plasminogen activator)-induced clot lysis was inhibited efficiently by alpha2-plasmin inhibitor present in the clot. Inhibition of urokinase-induced clot lysis by alpha2-macroglobulin was weak and the molar concentration necessary for alpha2-macroglobulin to achieve the same degree of inhibition as that achieved with alpha2-plasmin inhibitor was about 10 times higher than that of alpha2-plasmin inhibitor. Binding of Lys-plasminogen to fibrin was inhibited by alpha2-plasmin inhibitor but not by alpha2-macroglobulin. Molar concentrations of alpha2-plasmin inhibitor which were effective in inhibiting the binding were 30 times less than that of 6-aminohexanoicacid. alpha2-Plasmin inhibitor was found to interact with Lys-plasminogen to form a weakly-bound complex which is dissociable in the presence of 6-aminohexanoic acid, suggesting that inhibition of binding of Lys-plasminogen to fibrin by alpha2-plasmin inhibitor may be due to interaction of alpha2-plasmin inhibitor with a specific site of the plasminogen molecule and that the site may be 6-aminohexanoic acid-binding site. It is suggested that alpha2-plasmin inhibitor is more reactive and efficient inhibitor of fibrinolysis than alpha 2-macroglobulin.