Label-Free Kinetic Studies of Hemostasis-Related Biomarkers Including D-Dimer Using Autologous Serum Transfusion

PLoS One. 2015 Dec 14;10(12):e0145012. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145012. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the elimination kinetics of hemostasis-related biomarkers including the prothrombin activation fragment F1+2, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-α2-antiplasmin complex (PAP), and D-dimer in humans. Autologous serum was used as a biomarker source and infused into 15 healthy volunteers. Serum was prepared from whole blood in the presence of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (final concentration 20 μg/mL) to induce plasmin generation required for PAP and D-dimer formation. Serum transfusions (50 mL/30 min) were well tolerated by all subjects. Endogenous thrombin formation was not induced by serum infusions as measured using a highly sensitive oligonucleotide-based enzyme capture assay. Median peak levels (x-fold increase over baseline) of F1+2, TAT, PAP, and D-dimer of 3.7 nmol/L (28.9), 393 ng/mL (189.6), 3,829 ng/mL (7.0), and 13.4 mg/L (34.2) were achieved at the end of serum infusions. During a 48 h lasting follow-up period all biomarkers showed elimination kinetics of a two-compartment model. Median (interquartile range) terminal half-lives were 1.9 (1.3-3.6) h for F1+2, 0.7 (0.7-2.6) h for TAT, and 10.8 (8.8-11.4) h for PAP. With 15.8 (13.1-23.1) h the D-dimer half-life was about twice as long as previously estimated from radiolabeling studies in animals and small numbers of human subjects. The serum approach presented here allows label-free and simultaneous analysis of the elimination kinetics of various hemostasis-related biomarkers. Based on these data changes in biomarker levels could more precisely used to estimate the activity level of the hemostatic system.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Biomarkers / blood*
  • Blood Transfusion, Autologous
  • Female
  • Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / analysis*
  • Fibrinolysis / drug effects
  • Half-Life
  • Healthy Volunteers
  • Humans
  • Kinetics
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prospective Studies
  • Thrombin / analysis
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator / pharmacology
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products
  • fibrin fragment D
  • Thrombin
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator

Grants and funding

The authors have no support or funding to report.