Interactions of fibrinolytic system proteins with lysine-containing surfaces

Studies on the interactions of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen with polyurethane surfaces containing ϵ‐lysine moieties (ϵ‐amino group free) are reported. These surfaces are considered to have the potential to dissolve nascent clots that may be formed on them. For adsorption from both single protein solutions and plasma, the surfaces were found to have a high capacity for tPA as well as plasminogen. A significant fraction of preadsorbed tPA was displaced from the ϵ‐lysine surfaces upon contact with plasma. These surfaces, when preadsorbed with tPA and then incubated with plasma, were able to dissolve incipient clots formed around them. However, the clot‐dissolving capacity diminished as the time of plasma incubation increased, presumably due to loss of tPA. It was also shown that in plasma, preadsorbed tPA is displaced from these surfaces largely by plasminogen, which thus appears to have a greater binding affinity than tPA for the ϵ‐lysine moieties. Finally, it was found that in plasma, the ϵ‐lysine surfaces interact with plasminogen in a dynamic manner, and that about 70% of the bound plasminogen is exchanging continuously with plasminogen in the plasma. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 66A: 795–801, 2003