Persistence of Fibrinolytic Activity in Fragments of Human Veins Cultured in Vitro

Summary

Explants from 5 adult human veins were cultured in a fibrinolytically inactive medium for 3 weeks and assayed for the presence of plasminogen activator by the fibrin slide technique. The explants from 3 veins showed fibrinolytic activity confined to their vasa vasorum for the whole duration of the culture; no decrease of activity was seen. The finding suggests that small blood vessels are able to synthesize plasminogen activator.

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