Histidine-rich glycoprotein and changes in the components of the fibrinolytic system after streptokinase therapy in patients with pulmonary thromboembolism.

Although the biological function of histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) is unknown, it may serve as an antifibrinolytic agent by interfering with the binding of plasminogen to fibrin. To define the role of HRG, plasma titers were measured by single radial immunodiffusion in eleven patients with thromboembolism before and after streptokinase (SK) therapy and were found unchanged (84.7 +/- 6.2%, M +/- SEM before, and 99.5 +/- 6.3% after 12 hr of SK therapy). The HRG peaks on crossed immunoelectrophoresis before and after SK infusion were also unchanged. Alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor fell during SK infusion as measured immunologically (102.0 +/- 15.0% before and 28.0 +/- 1.6% after 12 hr of therapy) and fibrinogen-fibrin degradative products appeared (mean titer of 1:2,048 after 12 hr of therapy), indicating that the infused SK was biologically active. Plasminogen levels before therapy were normal, as measured functionally and immunologically (105.4 +/- 4.9% and 96.0 +/- 5.6%, respectively), and both decreased after 12 hr of SK therapy (15.2 +/- 5.6% and 50.8 +/- 4.3%). No changes in functional antithrombin III titer, Hageman factor antigen level, or fibrinogen concentration, as measured turbidimetrically, were observed. Thus, although these data do not allow one to make any firm conclusions regarding the physiologic role of this protein in fibrinolysis, they do not exclude its increased catabolism, compensated by increased production, in patients undergoing fibrinolytic therapy.