Increased concentration of the fast‐acting plasminogen activator inhibitor in plasma associated with familial venous thrombosis

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Abstract
Summary. We have earlier demonstrated that in a family with a tendency to recurrent venous thrombosis the release of tissue plasminogen activator (t‐PA) activity in blood after stimulation was abnormally low. This observation could be related either to an impaired release of t‐PA into the blood stream or to a masking of the released t‐PA by a high concentration of PA inhibitor(s). In order to distinguish between these two possibilities the family was reinvestigated using various newer techniques, including an ELISA for t‐PA, an assay for quantitation of the fast‐acting PA inhibitor and SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by fibrin‐enzymography. Hereby the family members were demonstrated to have a high concentration in plasma of the PA inhibitor. After stimulation the release of t‐PA into the blood was normal, the t‐PA activity, however. was immediately inactivated by complex formation with the fast‐acting PA inhibitor.