COMPARISON BETWEEN CLEARANCE RATES OF PLASMA KALLIKREIN AND OF PLASMAKALLIKREIN-ALPHA-MACROGLOBULIN COMPLEXES BY THE LIVER

1. Alpha-Macroglobulins (alphaMs) were isolated from the serum of inju red rats through a two-stage method: gel filtration and ultracentrifug ation. 2. The clearance rates of rat plasma kallikrein (RPK) and alpha Ms-RPK complexes were compared in an isolated rat liver perfusion syst em: the alphaMs-RPK complexes are cleared at a much slower rate (half- life ranging from 24 to > 120 min) than does RPK itself (half-life ran ging from 13 to 18 min).