Coagulation Flashcards
4 steps of hemostasis
- Vascular spasm
- Platelet plug formation (primary hemostasis – fastest)
- Coagulation and formation of fibrin (secondary hemostasis– slower)
- Fibrinolysis once is clot is no longer needed
These are procoagulants in the blood
Factors 1-13
Fibrinogen
Fibronectin
vWF
These are anticoagulants in the blood
Proteins C & S
Antithrombin 3
Tissue pathway factor inhibitor
These are fibrinolytics in the blood
tPA
Plasminogen
Urokinase
These are antifibrinolytics in the blood
2 things and both work against plasminogen (which is a fibrinolytic)
1) alpha- antiplasmin
2) Plasminogen activator inhibitor
Half life of platelets
1-2 weeks
How to plts travel in the blood
Because they are small, they are pushed towards the vessel wall and slide against it, which places them close to their site of action
These are inside plts
Actin and myosin (plt contaction)
Thrombosthenin (assists with contraction)
ADP (plt acivation and aggregation)
Calcium (Factor 4 – has many functions in the coagulation cascade)
Fibrin stabilizing factor (Factor 13 – crosslinks fibrin)
Serotonin (Activates nearby plus)
GF (helps to repair the damaged vessel)
The healthy endothelium inhibits plt functioning by secreting
- Prostaglandin I2 (inhibits vWF, TxA2, and release of storage granules)
- NO (inhibits the TxA2 receptor, which is a platelet activator)
How does the vessel contract in response to damage
The tunica media contracts as a result of SNS reflexes, myogenic response, and release of vasoactive substances like TxA2
Purpose of vessel spasm
1) Reduces bloos loss
2) Keeps procoagulants in the area so they can do their job
3 steps of platelet plug formation (primary hemostasis)
1) Adhesion
2) Activation
3) Aggregation
How long does it take to make the plt plug?
About 5 minutes
Plt adhesion
- Endothelial injury exposes collagen, which binds to plts at the Gp1a/2a and Gp IV receptors
- vWF is made and released from the endothelium, binding to GpIb plt receptor, anchoring the plt to the subendothelium
Overall, collagen is exposed and vWF is made and released, these bind to the plt via various receptors and adheres the plt to the vessel wall
Plt activation
- Injured endothelium releases TF, and the TF activates plts
- Activated plts release ADP and TxA2 (these activate other nearby plts to facilitate aggregation. TxA2 is also a vasoconstrictor)
- Activated plts then contract to release the contents of their alpha granules (fibrinogen, fibronectin, vWF, PF4, and platelet growth factor). These call other plts to the site.
- Activated plts become swollen, weirdly shaped, and sticky. This weirdly shaped, sticky mass helps plts adhere to the injured vessel and other plts.
- Activated plts express two extra GPs on their surface (GpIIb and GPIIIa)
Platelet Aggregation
- GpIIb/IIIa receptors form complexes with fibrinogen (which was released by the granules) to form a platelet plug
- ADP and TxA2 are needed for the receptor complex to accept fibrinogen
For microinjuries, a plt plug is good enough.
For larger vascular injury, the coagulation cascade is needed to make fibrin threads that will strengthen the clot.
Pneumonic to remember the factors by name
Foolish people try climbing long slopes after christmas. Some people have fallen.
How are the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways activated?
Extrinsic is activated when the cascade is initiated OUTSIDE of the vascular space
Intrinsic is activated when the cascade is initiated INSIDE the vascular space
What is the cell based model of coagulation?
Our current understanding of coagulation, which is a hybrid of the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways.
In this model, coagulation is started by release of TF (3), which is the extrinsic pathway. The intrinsic pathway serves to AMPLIFY the thrombin generating effect of the extrinsic pathway.
Called cell based, bc it starts with the injured cells releasing TF. Remember that TF is released by the injured tissues, setting off the extrinsic pathway and activating platelets.
Classical Extrinsic Pathway
1) TF is released from the subendothelium, initiating the extrinsic pathway and activating plts
2) TF activates factor 7. Activated factor 7 in the presence of calcium then activates factor X (Common final pathway).
3) Prothrombin Activator (as well as tissue phospholipids), turn prothrombin (Factor 2) into Thrombin. Prothrombin activator is another term for the collection of coagulation factors that leads to thrombin activation.
Is the extrinsic pathway fast or slow?
Fast, only taking about 15 seconds. Remember, it’s fast because there are fewer steps compared to the intrinsic pathway.
By contrast, the intrinsic pathway takes about 6 minutes to form a clot.
Classical Intrinsic Pathway
1) As blood is exposed to collagen, factor 12 is activated
2) 12a then activates 11
3) 11a then activates 9
4) Factors 9a and 8 work together to activate factor 10.
5) Then, just like in the extrinsic pathway, prothrombin activator and phospholipids work together to activate thrombin (turning factor 2 into 2a).
The final common pathway begins with ___ and ends with _____
begins with thrombin (Factor 2a) and ends with the production of cross-linked fibers of fibrin
Classical Common Final Pathway
1) Basically, the purpose of both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways are to make the factors that make up Prothrombin Activator, so that we can activate prothrombin to thrombin (Factor II to IIa)
2) The final common pathway begins the activation of II to IIa.
3) Thrombin (IIa), is an enzyme that changes fibrinogen (Factor I) into fibrinogen monomer.
In the presence of Calcium (Factor 4), these fibrin monomers form strands to make fibrin fibers.
4) Remember that the platelet plug is created first (it’s the fastest), and then it is stabilized by incorporating these fibrin fibers. Activated fibrin-stabilizing factor (Factor XIII) facilitates cross linkage of these fibers to complete the clot. Woohoo! This clot will stay in place until the underlying vascular tissue has healed itself.
Proteins C & S inhibit these factors
III, V, and VII
Process of Fibrinolysis
1) It starts with plasminogen, which is a proenzyme made by the liver and is incorporated into the clot as it’s formed. It lays dormant in the clot until it is activated.
2) Plasminogen is activated by tPA and urokinase into it’s active form plasmin.
- tPA is released by the injured tissue over a period of several days (major mechanism)
- Urokinase is made by the kidneys and released into circulation (minor mechanism)
3) Plasmin goes on to break up fibrin into various fibrin degradation products (which are measured by d-dimer).
How is the fibrinolytic process turned off?
1) tPA inhibitor (tPAI) inhibits the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin
2) Alpha-2 antiplasmin inhibits plasmin’s action on fibrin
Basics of the contemporary cell based model of coagulation
1) Initiation Phase
- Extrinsic pathway is activated by the expression of TF by damaged cells. Enters common final pathway and a small amount of thrombin is made, but not enough to convert fibrinogen to fibrin.
2) Amplification phase
- The small amount of thrombin that was made on the TF-bearing cells amplifies the coagulation response by activating platelets, factor 5 and factor 11.
3) Propagation Phase
- Begins with factor X becoming activated by Factors 4, 8, and 9 on the surface of a platelet. This results in a positive feedback mechanism that produces enough thrombin to activate fibrin.
Heparin inhibits these pathways
Intrinsic and common final
How does heparin work?
It binds to antithrombin III (AT3), which is a naturally occurring anticoagulant that circulates in the plasma. Once bound, heparin increases it’s anticoagulant ability 1000x
This heparin-AT3 complex neutralizes thrombin (IIa), and activated factors 9, 10, 11, and 12 (basically the entire intrinsic pathway).
Heparin also inhibits platelet function.