Fibrinolytic characteristics and their significance in malignant, tuberculous and cirrhotic pleural and ascitic fluids

• Published in: International journal of laboratory hematology 2007-04, Vol.29 (2), p.132-138
• Main Authors: LU, X.-G., MAO, J.-S., TONG, J.-F., ZHU, L., LIU, J., GONG, X.-B., HUANG, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ascitic Fluid - metabolism; Blood Coagulation Factors - analysis; Female; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis - metabolism; Male; Middle Aged; Mycobacterium; Neoplasms - metabolism; plasmin; plasminogen; Pleural and ascitic fluid; Pleural Cavity - metabolism; tissue plasminogen activator; Tuberculosis - metabolism; urokinase plaminogen activator receptor; urokinase plasminogen activator
• ISSN: 1751-5521; 1751-553X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-553X.2006.00835.x

Summary The fibrinolytic characteristics and clinical pathological significance of pleural and ascitic fluid were studied in patients with malignant tumour, tuberculosis or liver cirrhosis. Urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and urokinase plaminogen activator receptor (uPAR) levels were measured by enzyme‐linked immunoadsorbent assay and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1), plasminogen (Plg), plasmin (Pl) and α2 plasmin inhibitor (α2PI) by colorimetric assay. uPA and uPAR levels were higher in malignant tumour and tuberculosis compared with liver cirrhosis, whereas tPA levels were significantly higher in liver cirrhosis and malignant tumour than in tuberculosis patients. Tuberculosis patients showed statistically higher PAI‐1, Plg and Pl concentrations than malignant tumour patients, which, in turn, were higher than those in liver cirrhosis patients. α2PI levels were markedly higher in malignant tumour and liver cirrhosis than in tuberculosis. In the malignant tumour group, only uPA level was significantly different between the samples that contained cancer cells and those that did not. We found significant differences between the fibrinolytic characteristics in pleural and ascitic fluid in patients with malignant tumour, tuberculosis and liver cirrhosis. The analysis of several fibrinolytic parameters could help to determine the quality of pleural and ascitic fluid, and also to further understand the pathological processes of these diseases.