Suppression of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 release by fibrin from human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

The effect of fibrin stimulation on the fibrinolytic potential in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was investigated in the normal state and aged state. The amount of antigen of the two fibrinolytic factors, tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), was determined using ELISA and the ABC method, respectively. When a fibrin clot was overlayered on the normal HUVEC, the secretion of t-PA or PAI-1 from the HUVEC was greatly changed. That is, PAI antigen was decreased 3-fold and t-PA antigen increased slightly in the conditioned medium. On the other hand, when the aged HUVEC were stimulated by a fibrin clot, PAI antigen was increased 3-fold and t-PA antigen did not change in the conditioned medium. When the level of fibrinolytic activity in the conditioned medium was expressed as the molar ratio of PAI and t-PA (PAI/t-PA), the value in the fibrin-stimulated normal HUVEC was markedly reduced (a 3.5-fold decrease) when compared with that of the non-stimulated normal HUVEC, reflecting a profibrinolytic state. On the other hand, the value in the fibrin-stimulated aged HUVEC was markedly increased (a 5-fold increase) when compared with that of the non-stimulated aged HUVEC, reflecting an antifibrinolytic state. Actinomycin D- or cycloheximide-treated HUVEC showed no response to the fibrin stimulation. We conclude that the level of HUVEC-mediated fibrinolytic activity was regulated mainly by the production and secretion of PAI from the HUVEC to protect against the generation of thrombi. In the aged HUVEC, the regulatory mechanism acts in an opposite manner and a thrombotic process may be induced.