Impaired release of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) following DDAVP infusion in von Willebrand's disease with low platelet von Willebrand factor content.

Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) are both released by vascular endothelial cells after the infusion of DDAVP. Such release has not been observed in patients with severe von Willebrand's disease (vWD). In the present work we demonstrate that the degree of simultaneous DDAVP-induced release of t-PA and vWF, in patients with vWD, is strictly related to the platelet vWF content. Twelve patients with type I, and three patients with type III vWD were studied. The type I vWD group included three patients with reduced platelet vWF content (platelet-low) and nine patients with normal levels (platelet-normal). In all patients studied the plasma t-PA levels were within the normal range. No significant change in either t-PA or vWF was observed after DDAVP in the patients with undetectable levels of platelet vWF (type III vWD). A mild increase was found in those patients with type I platelet-low, while in type I platelet-normal vWD the response was similar to that observed in normal subjects. The release of the two molecules appeared, therefore, to be linked to platelet vWF content and the rates of increase in both t-PA and vWF were similar in each group of patients studied. Since platelets are regarded as a tissue compartment of vWF our findings seem to suggest that the presence of vWF and its release from endothelial cells is required for a normal concomitant release of t-PA. In contrast, post-DDAVP release of vWF seems to be independent from that of t-PA since it was normal in a patient with congenital deficiency of t-PA release.