Plasminogen activator activity and its separative measurement in the gastric mucosa of liver cirrhotics

Abstract

Plasminogen activator (PA) activity of the gastric mucosa of liver cirrhotics was measured by use of Glt-Gly-Arg-MCA as the substrate. Gastroduodenal mucosal lesions were more frequently seen in cirrhotic patients with red spot of the gastric mucosa (RS (+) group) as compared to the cases without red spot (RS (-) group). RS (+) group had poor liver function as compared to RS (-) group. PA activity of the gastric mucosa in RS (+) group was higher than RS (-) and control groups.
Furthermore, the elevated PA activity was higherly assosiated with severe liver damage estimated by routine liver function test and Child's classification.
Separatively quantitative assay of PAs was performed by using Lysine-Sepharose 4B chromatography. Both the tissue type and urokinase type PA were higher in the RS (+) group than in control group.
These results suggest that accelerated tissue fibrinolytic activity is one of the causative factors of gastric mucosal bleeding in cirrhotic patients with red spot.