Regulation of fibrinolytic activity of neutrophil leukocyte elastase, plasmin, and miniplasmin by plasma protease inhibitors

The effect of solid-phase fibrin on the inactivation of plasmin, miniplasmin, and neutrophil leukocyte elastase (PMN-elastase) by plasma protease inhibitors (alpha 2-antiplasmin, alpha 1-protease inhibitor, alpha 2-macroglobulin) was studied. In Hanks' balanced salt solution, fibrin reduces the second-order rate constant for the inhibition of PMN-elastase by alpha 1-protease inhibitor from 8,760 x 10(4) to 4 x 10(4) M-1.s-1 and by alpha 2-macroglobulin from 121 x 10(4) to 1.8 x 10(4) M-1.s-1. The rate constant for miniplasmin inactivation by alpha 2-antiplasmin decreases from 99 x 10(4) to 1 x 10(4) M-1.s-1, by alpha 2-macroglobulin from 78 x 10(4) to 1.8 x 10(4) M-1.s-1, and by alpha 1-protease inhibitor from 0.11 x 10(4) M-1.s-1 to 0. Plasmin bound to fibrin is completely protected against alpha 2-macroglobulin and alpha 1-protease inhibitor, whereas the rate constant for the inactivation by its primary plasma inhibitor alpha 2-antiplasmin is reduced from 430 x 10(4) to 1.08 x 10(4) M-1.s-1. The competition of substrate and inhibitor for the enzyme was also studied, using fibrin preincubated with inhibitor. Under our pseudo-first-order experimental conditions, fibrin completely eliminates those interactions, the second-order rate constant of which is 1.1 x 10(5) M-1.s-1 or less in a system without fibrin surface.