Summary
Pure fibrinogen and fibrinogen in plasma respectively, were digested with plasmin
under various conditions. The split products obtained were afterwards separated on
Sephadex G 200 and determined immunologically. The investigation showed that when
plasmin digested plasma is separated by gel filtration high molecular weight split
products with antigenic determinants for both D and E products occur in at least 3
different main types, which are eluted in the “19 S” and “7 S” peaks. On digestion
of pure fibrinogen investigated in the same way only 2 main types of split products
occurs in the same region. In the “4 S” peak D and E products occur as end degradation
products.
The amount of split products formed in serum samples with fibrinolysis is larger than
in those with fibrinogenolysis.
Split products in sera from patients with different diseases were identified after
gel filtration on Sephadex G 200. As a rule, they were eluted together with the macro
- globulins (“19 S”) but samples from patients with advanced fibrinolytic conditions
were also found to have split products of lower molecular weight, which were eluted
later in the “7 S” and “4 S” peaks.
With the immunologic technique used split products in the serum can be determined
down to a concentration of 0.5 mg/100 ml. Split products were found in a concentration
between 1 and 45 mg/100 ml in certain patients with liver disease, blood disease,
cancer and thrombosis, but not in any of the healthy subjects studied.
