The clearance of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) was studied, in rats, by
use of a functional assay for t-PA. Half-lives in the circulation were about one minute
both for human (melanoma cell-derived) t-PA and for the rat’s own t-PA. The clearance
of t-PA required an intact liver blood flow. In isolated liver perfusion experiments
the hepatic extraction of t-PA did not require any plasma proteins, including fast-acting
t-PA inhibitor. Competition experiments, using monosaccharides, suggested that known
hepatic glycoprotein receptors were not involved in hepatic t-PA extraction.
Keywords
Rat - Tissue-type plasminogen activator - Clearance - Liver - Carbohydrate - Tunicamycin