ISSN:
1432-2307
Keywords:
Soluble fibrinogen fibrin monomer complexes
;
Dissiminated intravascular coagulation
;
Fibrin degradation products (FDP)
;
Reticuloendothelial system (RES)
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary In states of plasmic hypercoagulability and consumption coagulopathy ethanol favours the non-enzymatic polymerization of circulating soluble fibrinogen fibrin monomer complexes (FFMC) in vitro. The ethanolgelation test of Godal and Abildgaard makes use of this phenomenon, called paracoagulation. The present studies show that it is also possible to visualize soluble FFMC by means of ethanol-gelation. In the electron microscope, FFMC, polymerized non-enzymatically by ethanol in the spleen, are characterized by plump or slender mycelioid fibrillar precipitates that show a uniform rhythmic transverse striation, a period-coincidental filamentary arrangement and an average periodicity of 23 nm. The ultrastructure demonstrates these ethanol-induced filaments to be in vitro-polymerized fibrin monomer derivatives. Paracoagulation with ethanol allows the identification of soluble FFMC in the tissue prior to the formation of highly polymerized fibrin-rich microthrombi, the established equivalents of the DIC-syndrome. The electron microscope studies also show the existence of a second type of fibrillary structure in the tissue polymerized by ethanol. This second type lacks the characteristic periodicity of fibrin and the period-coincidental arrangement of the filamentary structures, but is characterized by closely packed or chain-like aligned, irregularly sized spherical bodies. There is some evidence that these spherical bodies in vitro represent non-enzymatically polymerized complexes of fibrin monomers and fibrin degradation products (FDP), the equivalent of a limited local or generalized fibrinolysis in vivo.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00427187
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