Urokinase-Induced Fibrinolysis of Human Standard Clots

Abstract

STUDIES with human fibrinolysis, either induced by pyrogens or appearing during thoracic surgery, together with other observations, indicate that very likely the first phase of an endogenous fibrinolytic reaction in man is the release of a plasminogen activator from the tissues into the blood stream. The question whether this activator can induce lysis of an intravascular clot directly was studied in vitro with human urokinase, a plasminogen activator excreted with the urine, as the enzyme source and human standard clots as substrate.