Fibrinogen Metabolism in Healthy Dogs and in Dogs with CCI₄-Induced Liver Damage and with Portal Vein Occlusion

Summary

The metabolism of dog fibrinogen, labelled with radioactive iodine was studied in 16 healthy dogs on 28 occasions, in 12 dogs with CCl₄-induced chronic liver damage and in 5 dogs with interruption of the hepatoportal blood flow by occlusion of the portal vein.

Results in healthy control dogs were: plasma volume 48±12 ml/kg ; plasma fibrinogen concentration 316±102 mg%; total plasma fibrinogen pool 168±42 mg/kg, representing 0.72±0.08 of the total body pool; fibrinogen half-life 2.54±0.23 day; fractional catabolic rate 0.39±0.05 of the plasma pool per day; absolute catabolic rate 58±25 mg/kg per day.

Results in dogs with CCl₄-induced liver damage were: plasma volume 46 ± 12 ml/kg ; plasma fibrinogen concentration 334±97 mg%; total plasma fibrinogen pool 152±55 mg/kg, representing 0.70±0.04 of the total body pool; fibrinogen half-life 2.15±0.26 days; fractional catabolic rate 0.47±0.06 of the plasma pool per day; absolute catabolic rate 71±21 mg/kg per day.

Results in dogs with longstanding portal vein occlusion were: plasma volume 41 ±8 ml/kg; plasma fibrinogen concentration 330±23 mg%; total plasma fibrinogen pool 142±36 mg/kg, representing 0.70±0.06 of the total body pool; fibrinogen half-life 2.60 ±0.36 days; fractional catabolic rate 0.40 ±0.04 of the plasma pool per day; absolute catabolic rate 56±14 mg/kg per day.

A significant difference between control dogs and dogs with liver disease was observed for the fibrinogen half-life and the fractional catabolic rate. All fibrinogen turnover data in dogs with portal vein occlusion were comparable to control values.

Heparinization did not influence the fibrinogen half-life in most of the control dogs and in the dogs with portal vein occlusion ; however in 2 control dogs, a prolongation of their rather short fibrinogen survival occurred during anticoagulation. In contrast, a general trend towards prolongation and occasionally normalization of the fibrinogen life span during heparinization was observed in the dogs with liver damage, supporting the concept of accelerated fibrinogen consumption by a process of disseminated intravascular coagulation in liver disease.

^* Research fellow of the “Belgian Fund for Scientific Research”.

^** Present address: University of Amsterdam, Dep. Medicine, Div. Gastroenterology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

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