Presence of growth-stimulating fibrin degradation products containing fragment E in human atherosclerotic plaques

Abstract

The key event in the formation of stenosing atherosclerotic lesions is widely thought to be smooth muscle cell proliferation, but the factors primarily responsible for initiating this remain uncertain. Previously we have shown that aqueous extracts of proliferative types of human atherosclerotic plaque stimulate cell proliferation in the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM). This has been attributed largely to the fibrin degradation products in the extracts, components removeable by affinity chromatography. We now demonstrate that the fibrinogen content of the extract, removeable by clotting out with thrombin, also makes a contribution to the activity by forming fibrin on the surface of the CAM. Affinity chromatography experiments using anti fragment D and E antisera indicate that activity resides in the E-containing fibrin fragments, consistent with previous work with FDP prepared in vitro.