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Altered fibrin clot structure and dysregulated fibrinolysis contribute to thrombosis risk in severe COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: The high incidence of thrombotic events suggests a possible role of the contact system pathway in COVID-19 pathology. Here, we demonstrate altered levels of factor XII (FXII) and its activation products in critically ill COVID-19 patients in comparison to patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome due to influenza virus (ARDS-influenza). Compatible with this data, we report rapid consumption of FXII in COVID-19, but not in ARDS-influenza, plasma. Interestingly, the lag phase in fibrin formation, triggered by the FXII activator kaolin, was not prolonged in COVID-19 as opposed to ARDS-influenza. Using confocal and electron microscopy, we showed that increased FXII activation rate, in conjunction with elevated fibrinogen levels, triggers formation of fibrinolysis-resistant, compact clots with thin fibers and small pores in COVID-19. Accordingly, clot lysis was markedly impaired in COVID-19 as opposed to ARDS-infleunza subjects. Dysregulatated fibrinolytic system, as evidenced by elevated levels of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor, tissue-plasminogen activator, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in COVID-19 potentiated this effect. Analysis of lung tissue sections revealed wide-spread extra- and intra-vascular compact fibrin deposits in COVID-19 patients. Together, compact fibrin network structure and dysregulated fibrinolysis may collectively contribute to high incidence of thrombotic events in COVID-19.

SUBMITTER: Wygrecka M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8648369 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is associated with arterial and venous thrombosis. The unfavorable fibrin clot phenotype, including formation of dense and poorly lysable clots, has been reported both in thrombotic APS and venous thromboembolism (VTE). The presence and amount of different proteins within a plasma clot, not only associated with the coagulation system, may influence clot properties. To our knowledge, there is a lack of data on plasma fibrin-clot bound proteins in patients with thrombotic APS or VTE. The aim of our study was to perform a quantitative proteomic analysis of fibrin clots prepared from citrated plasma from subjects with thrombotic APS and prior VTE, along with fibrin clot permeability (Ks) and clot lysis time (CLT) assessed ex vivo. We investigated 23 consecutive patients with APS, 18 with a history of first-ever VTE, and 20 age and sex matched healthy subjects. A multiple enzyme digestion filter aided sample preparation and a multienzyme digestion (MED) FASP method combined with LC-MS/MS analysis performed on a Proxeon Easy-nLC System coupled to the Q Exactive HF mass spectrometer were used. The proteomic analysis revealed that clot composition regarding 117 proteins in APS patients and 48 proteins in VTE patients was changed as compared to healthy controls, while 72 clot-bounded proteins differed between APS and VTE subjects. In healthy controls, Ks was associated with fibrinogen alpha and gamma chains (r=0.46 and r=0.46, both p<0.05, respectively) or apolipoprotein B-100 (r=-0.53, p<0.05), while CLT correlated with annexin A2 (r=-0.58, p<0.05), apolipoportein(a) (r=0.47, p<0.05), or platelet glycoprotein 4 (r=0.59, p<0.05). In VTE patients correlations of Ks with complement C1q and histone H2B, as factors closely linked with thrombosis, were observed (r=-0.52 and r=-0.47, both p<0.05, respectively). In patients with thrombotic APS all above-mentioned associations were not found. This study is the first to show that different proteins are able to influence the clot formation, structure, and properties. Since, prothrombotic conditions abolished associations observed in healthy subjects fibrin clots, differences in protein clot components might explain the links between prothrombotic fibrin clot phenotype and thromboembolic events.

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Altered fibrin clot structure and dysregulated fibrinolysis contribute to thrombosis risk in severe COVID-19.

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