An Immunohistochemical Analysis of Tissue Thrombin Expression in the Human Atria
Open Access
- 13 June 2013
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) in PLOS ONE
- Vol. 8 (6), e65817
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0065817
Abstract
Thrombin, the final coagulation product of the coagulation cascade, has been demonstrated to have many physiological effects, including pro-fibrotic actions via protease-activated receptor (PAR)-1. Recent investigations have demonstrated that activation of the cardiac local coagulation system was associated with atrial fibrillation. However, the distribution of thrombin in the heart, especially difference between the atria and the ventricle, remains to be clarified. We herein investigated the expression of thrombin and other related proteins, as well as tissue fibrosis, in the human left atria and left ventricle. We examined the expression of thrombin and other related molecules in the autopsied hearts of patients with and without atrial fibrillation. An immunohistochemical analysis was performed in the left atria and the left ventricle. The thrombin was immunohistologically detected in both the left atria and the left ventricles. Other than in the myocardium, the expression of thrombin was observed in the endocardium and the subendocardium of the left atrium. Thrombin was more highly expressed in the left atrium compared to the left ventricle, which was concomitant with more tissue fibrosis and inflammation, as detected by CD68 expression, in the left atrium. We also confirmed the expression of prothrombin in the left atrium. The expression of PAR-1 was observed in the endocardium, subendocardium and myocardium in the left atrium. In patients with atrial fibrillation, strong thrombin expression was observed in the left atrium. The strong expression levels of thrombin, prothrombin and PAR-1 were demonstrated in the atrial tissues of human autopsied hearts.Keywords
This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- Granzyme K Activates Protease-Activated Receptor-1PLOS ONE, 2011
- Brain Endothelial Cells Synthesize Neurotoxic Thrombin in Alzheimer’s DiseaseThe American Journal of Pathology, 2010
- Dabigatran, a direct thrombin inhibitor, demonstrates antifibrotic effects on lung fibroblastsArthritis & Rheumatism, 2009
- Protease-Activated Receptor-1 Contributes to Cardiac Remodeling and HypertrophyCirculation, 2007
- Atrial Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and the Maintenance of Atrial FibrillationCirculation, 2004
- Atrial Fibrillation and the Hypercoagulable State: From Basic Science to Clinical PracticePathophysiology of Haemostasis and Thrombosis, 2003
- Mechanisms of Protease-activated Receptor-4 Actions in CardiomyocytesPublished by Elsevier BV ,2003
- Tissue ProthrombinArteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 1997
- Distribution of myocardial macrophages in the normal human heartJournal of Anatomy, 1997
- Enhancement of incisional wound healing and neovascularization in normal rats by thrombin and synthetic thrombin receptor-activating peptides.JCI Insight, 1992