A novel hemostasis assay for the simultaneous measurement of coagulation and fibrinolysis

Abstract

Thrombin and plasmin are the key enzymes involved in coagulation and fibrinolysis. A novel hemostasis assay (NHA) was developed to measure thrombin and plasmin generation in a single well by a fluorimeter. The NHA uses two fluorescent substrates with non-interfering fluorescent excitation and emission spectra. The assay was tested in vitro using modulators like heparin, hirudin, epsilon-aminocaproic acid, gly-proarg-pro peptide and reptilase and validated by measurement of prothrombin fragment 1z2 and plasminalpha2-antiplasmin levels. Intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation were,9% and 6-25%, respectively. Interplay between coagulation and fibrinolysis was demonstrated by the effect of tissuetype plasminogen activator on thrombin generation and by the different responses of activated protein C and thrombomodulin on fibrinolysis. The last responses showed the linkage between coagulation and fibrinolysis by thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor. In conclusion, this strategy allows detection of coagulation, fibrinolysis and their interplay in a single assay. © W. S. Maney & Son Ltd 2011.