Ultrastructural changes of the tissue thromboplastin after intravenous injection in rabbits.

Attempts were made to demonstrate ultrastructural changes of the tissue thromboplastin after intravenous injection, as a model experiment on the pulmonary microthrombi formation induced by the tissue thromboplastin circulating from venous return. Concentrically arranged membrane structures of the injected thromboplastin disappeared in extremely short time after the injection of the thromboplastin in rabbits. The long sheet membrane of the injected thromboplastin was frequently seen as adhered to the vascular endothelium or to the surface of blood corpuscles. Furthermore, fibrin fibres were formed in contact with the long sheet membrane of the thromboplastin. Membrane structures were not found anywhere in the control rabbits.