L241	Tissue factor and its role in coagulation and endothelial activation.
N.Mackman
The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, US.

Tissue factor (TF) is the primary cellular initiator of blood coagulation. Under normal conditions, expression is restricted to extravascular cells like perivascular fibroblasts. This constitutive expression plays a critical role in maintaining hemostasis, especially in vital organs, such as the lung, heart and brain. Under pathological conditions, such as during sepsis or cancer, TF expression is induced in vascular cells, including monocytes and endothelial cells. This induced expression has been shown to contribute to intravascular thrombosis. In addition, local generation of coagulation proteases may enhance the activation of endothelial cells via cleavage of protease activated receptors (PARs). This may explain how activation of the coagulation cascade increases inflammation in diseases, such as sepsis. These studies indicated that TF plays an important role in hemostasis, thrombosis and inflammation.

Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel. Any further use of this abstract requires written permission from the publisher.