In vitro clot lysis: A comparative study of two methods

In vitro studies of thrombolysis are usually performed using whole blood th rombi enriched with I-125-fibrinogen (I-125-Fg) suspended in phosphate-buff ered saline (PBS) or human serum containing the fibrinolytic inductors to b e studies [1-5]. The rate of release of I-125-fibrinogen degradation produc ts (I-125-FDPs) in the supernatant is taken as a measure of the plasmin-dep endent degradation of the clot. However, the use of radioactive materials i s a potential health hazard for the laboratory staff, and is also a source of environmental pollution. As an alternative to the use of radioisotopes, it is possible to use the rate of release of hemoglobin [6]. In this paper we study the effectiveness of the latter as compared with the I-125-Fg meth od, which is at the moment considered to be the most reliable method.