The Contribution of Plasma Protease Inhibitors to Antiplasmin Activity in Man

1. Human plasma contains a variety of proteins that are capable of inhibiting plasmin activity. Whole plasma possesses ‘rapid’ and ‘progressive’ plasmin-neutralizing activity: this study assesses the contribution of individual protease inhibitors to this plasmin-neutralizing property of plasma.

2. Rapid and progressive antiplasmin activities of human plasma correlate with α₂-macroglobulin and α₁-antitrypsin concentrations respectively.

3. Fluctuations in the amounts of the other measured inhibitors (antithrombin III, Cl inactivator and inter-α-trypsin inhibitor) did not influence the measured antiplasmin activity.