Determination of plasma tissue type plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor activity in patients with ischemic stroke

Plasma tissue-type plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor were determined during the acute, recovery and sequelae stages of patients with ischemic stroke by chromophoric substrate assay. The result showed that t-PA activity was elevated during the acute phase, remained elevated during the recovery stage and declined during the sequelae stage. Lowering of PAI activity was found during acute phase, which reversed during recovery phase and remained significantly elevated during sequelae stage. As a result, the ratio of PAI/t-PA fluctuated during different stages of the disease. Significant elevation of PAI and PAI/t-PA ratio during sequelae stage may be one of the risk factors of further thrombosis and contribute partly to the high relapsing rate of the disease. In addition, a positive correlation was found between PAI and serum cholesterol content.