Enzymatic process of dissolution of fibrin. Plasmin, the main enzyme involved, degrades the fibrin mesh, leading to the production of circulating fragments that are cleared by other proteinases or organs.
A normal ongoing process that dissolves fibrin and results in the removal of small blood clots.
The activity of the fibrinolysin system that removes small clots from tiny blood vessels throughout the body.
Substance that dissolves fibrin.
The removal of blood clots from the system by the action of fibrinolysin on fibrin.
Process in which protein fibrin IS dissolved, resulting in the breakup and removal of small blood clots; this is a normal, ongoing process in the body. The principles of fibrinolysis have been utilized therapeutically via administration of drugs that dissolve blood clots associated with disease (e.g., as occurs in a coronary artery during an acute myocardial infarction).
The process by which enzymes break down a blood clot. Fibrinolysis means “fibrin dissolving”; fibrin is a principal component of blood clots. Fibrinolysis occurs continuously in nature, but it is increased by such factors as intense exercise, certain medications, bacterial infection, and a low blood sugar level.
The process by which blood clots are removed from the circulation, involving digestion of the insoluble protein fibrin by the enzyme plasmin. The latter exists in the plasma as an inactive precursor (plasminogen), which is activated in parallel with the blood coagulation process. Normally a balance is maintained between the processes of coagulation and fibrinolysis in the body, an abnormal increase in fibrinolysis leads to excessive bleeding.
The breakdown of fibrin in blood clots, and the prevention of the polymerization of fibrin into new clots. The principal physiological activator of the fibrinolytic system is tissue plasminogen activator. It converts plasminogen in a fibrin-containing clot to plasmin. The fibrin polymer is degraded by plasmin into fragments that are then scavenged by monocytes and macrophages. This process begins immediately after a clot forms. It can be stimulated by administering fibrinolytic drugs, such as recombinant tissue plasminogen activator.
The segment of the coagulation process responsible for the dissolution of blood clots.
Fibrinolysis is the process of breaking down fibrin, which is the main component of blood clots. Fibrin is a fibrous protein that is produced in the blood as the final product of coagulation.
In addition to the coagulation system, blood comprises a fibrinolytic system that becomes active when a blood vessel is injured. The fibrinolytic system works alongside the coagulation system to prevent clot formation in intact blood vessels, thereby averting blockages. Moreover, it plays a crucial role in dissolving a clot once the healing process of a damaged blood vessel wall is complete.
Thrombosis, which refers to the abnormal formation of blood clots, arises when there is an imbalance in the usual interplay between the coagulation and fibrinolytic processes.
Medications that induce fibrinolysis can be employed to treat specific conditions, like pulmonary embolism and myocardial infarction, where blood clots obstruct proper circulation.