20th Anniversary Review Articles : Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis
Vol. 21 Issue 12 p3304 – 3316 Nicola J. Mutch Robert L. Medcalf Fibrinolysis is the system primarily responsible for removal of fibrin deposits and blood clots in the vasculature. The terminal enzyme in the pathway, plasmin, is formed from its circulating precursor, plasminogen. Fibrin is by far the most legendary substrate, but plasmin is notoriously prolific and is known to cleave many other proteins and participate in the activation of other proteolytic systems. Fibrinolysis is often overshadowed by