Studies on the effect of plasminogen activator on the interaction between alpha 2-macroglobulin and plasmin

Six different plasmins were prepared by incubating human plasminogen with various amounts of streptokinase or urokinase. It was confirmed that the six different plasmins possessed similar caseinolytic activities, and the inhibitory effects of a alpha 1-antitrypsin on caseinolytic activities of the six different plasmins were all the same. On the other hand, interactions between the six different plasmins and alpha 2-macroglobulin were complicated. Plasmins activated by cleavage of plasminogen were almost immediately or effectively inhibited by alpha 2-macroglobulin. However, plasmin activated by complex formation of plasminogen with streptokinase was not so immediately or effectively inhibited by alpha 2-macroglobulin. It was supposed that the difference between these two results on the interaction between plasmin and alpha 2-macroglobulin might be due to the difference in molecular form of plasmin. In the present study, it was also confirmed that streptokinase or urokinase, in free form in the reaction mixture, interfered with the interaction between plasmin and alpha 2-macroglobulin. The cause for such interference was discussed.