Originally published online as doi:10.1189/jlb.0502257 on July 26, 2004
Published online before print July 26, 2004
(Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2004;76:571-576.)
© 2004
by Society for Leukocyte Biology
Polymorphonuclear leukocytes from patients with severe sepsis have lost the ability to degrade fibrin via u-PA
E. Moir*,
M. Greaves*,
G. D. Adey
and
B. Bennett*,1
* Departments of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen, Institute of Medical Science, and
Anaesthetics, Grampian Hospitals NHS Trust, Scotland, United Kingdom
1 Correspondence: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Institute of Medical Science, Polwarth Building, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, Scotland, UK. E-mail: b.bennett{at}abdn.ac.uk

ABSTRACT
Fibrin persistence in the vasculature is an important complication
of sepsis that can often lead to mortality. We have previously
established that polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) from healthy
individuals have the capacity to degrade fibrin via urokinase-type
plaminogen activator (u-PA). We have also demonstrated an increase
in u-PA antigen in the plasma of patients suffering from septic
shock. In this study, we investigate the hypothesis that PMN
from patients with sepsis have lost their fibrinolytic ability
and that this might contribute to the persistence of fibrin
deposits. We show here that PMN from these patients do not express
any u-PA activity, despite retaining some u-PA antigen. Additionally,
thrombi prepared from the whole blood of the patients exhibit
reduced endogenous lysis compared with those from healthy individuals.
These data indicate that loss of fibrinolytic activity from
PMN may be a contributing factor in fibrin persistence in the
microvasculature in sepsis.
Key Words: fibrinolysis PMN urokinase

INTRODUCTION
The pathological deposition of fibrin is often an early event
in episodes of sepsis [
1
,
2
]. Nonclearance of such fibrin
deposits contributes to the tissue damage that frequently causes
complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome and
acute renal failure in sepsis. The mechanisms underlying excess
fibrin formation within the microvasculature of these patients
have been well-studied and result from the inappropriate activation
of coagulation as a result of increased tissue-factor activity
and decreased levels of the coagulation inhibitors ATIII and
protein C (reviewed in ref. [
3
]). Other groups have suggested
that persistence of fibrin is mainly a result of retarded fibrinolysis
in the plasma of septic patients. The fibrinolytic system is
shown in
Figure 1
. Elevation of PAI-1 in these patients is
most striking [
4
5
6
7
]. PAI-1 inhibits the PAs, t-PA and u-PA,
thus preventing generation of active plasmin. Increased PAI-1
has been identified in some studies as a marker for mortality
in sepsis [
8
,
9
]. However, elevated plasma PAI-2 levels have
also been observed and can be associated with nonsurvival [
10
].
Sepsis can also affect the plasma concentrations of plasminogen
and its physiological activators. Plasma plasminogen is decreased
[
11
], and the more severe the sepsis, the greater the depletion
[
7
]. Plasma levels of t-PA antigen are raised in sepsis [
4
,
6
,
7
,
12
], presumably reflecting its release from endothelial
cells, but it appears mainly in complex with PAI-1, with decreased
ability to activate plasminogen. It has also been demonstrated
that plasma u-PA antigen can be raised in sepsis in some cases,
with u-PA activity sometimes being detected [
10
,
13
]. Alterations
in activators and inhibitors may not follow the same time-course,
introducing the potential for dysregulation of activity.
Most studies of fibrinolysis only investigate the levels of fibrinolytic proteins and inhibitors in plasma. We are interested in the leukocyte contribution to spontaneous fibrin degradation and have recently demonstrated that in healthy individuals, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) are central to fibrinolysis, mediating the spontaneous breakdown of model thrombi via u-PA activation of plasminogen [14
]. In sepsis, however, leukocytes may also contribute to the persistence of fibrin deposition by an increase in PAI-1 and PAI-2 in PMN and an increase in PAI-2 in monocytes [5
, 12
]. We have also shown a reduction in u-PA antigen from PMN in septic patients [10
], but cellular u-PA activity has not been studied in sepsis.
This study was undertaken to determine whether in a situation characterized by fibrin deposition and persistence, PMN retain the ability to lyse fibrin via u-PA generation. A failure or loss of cell-associated lytic ability would represent an additional factor in persistence of intravascular and extravascular fibrin deposits.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Preparation of plasma and leukocytes
Patients entering the Intensive Therapy Unit (Grampian Hospitals,
NHS Trust, Aberdeen, Scotland) with established or presumptive
diagnoses of major sepsis according to the systemic inflammatory
response syndrome criteria [
15
] were studied within 36 h of
admission to the unit. Informed consent was obtained from patients
or relatives, and the Institutional Research Ethics Committee
approved the study. Blood samples were collected into 0.1 vol
of 0.13 M trisodium citrate. Platelet-poor plasma (PPP) was
prepared by centrifugation as described previously [
16
]. Leukocytes
were obtained by density gradient centrifugation over Polymorphoprep
(Nycomed, Oslo, Norway) as described previously [
14
]. Blood
was also obtained from healthy individuals as controls and treated
identically.
Clot lysis assay
Purified fibrin clots were prepared, and their lysis was measured as described previously [17
]. Briefly, fibrinogen (2.92 µM, Kabi), plasminogen (0.24 µM), and thrombin (0.4 IU/ml, Leo Pharmaceuticals, Ballerup, Denmark) were recalcified in a microtiter plate with CaCl2 (5.3 mM), and absorbance was monitored over time. An increase in absorbance occurs during fibrin formation, and a decrease indicates fibrin lysis. PMN (1x107/ml) and/or plasma (8%) were included as indicated. Antibodies to
2-AP (Dako, Bucks, UK) were included in clots containing plasma at a final concentration of 250 µg/ml to allow lysis to be detected. Note that although these antibodies are required to allow lysis to be detected in this purified system, no such addition is necessary to allow spontaneous lytic activity to be detected in a model thrombus system [14
]. Antibodies to u-PA or t-PA (Technoclone, Surrey, UK) were included in some clots at a final concentration of 5 µg/ml.
Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and zymography
PMN (1.6x105) alone or incubated with plasma (4 µl) for 30 min at 37°C were separated on 10% SDS-PAGE gels, and zymography was carried out as described previously [18
]. In some experiments, rabbit antibodies to human u-PA or t-PA (Technoclone) were incorporated into the fibrin detector plate at final concentrations of 12.5 µg/ml to identify the active bands.
Immunohistochemistry
Immunohistochemistry of isolated PMN was carried out by the alkaline phosphatase and antialkaline phosphatase method [19
] for u-PA. Frozen smears were allowed to come to room temperature before fixing in 100% acetone for 10 min at 4°C. Slides were allowed to air-dry and then were rehydrated for 10 min in Tris-buffered saline (5 mM Tris, pH 7.6, 0.13 M NaCl) before staining. Primary antibody was a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to u-PA (methyl UK-1, Biopool, supplied through Porton Products, Berkshire, UK). Secondary antibody was rabbit anti-mouse immunoglobulin G (Dako) at 175 µg/ml in 10% normal human serum. Two negative controls for immunohistochemistry were used: secondary antibody alone or a nonspecific antibody [mouse antibody to glucose oxidase of Asperigillus niger (Dako)].
Chandler model thrombi
Model thrombi were prepared from normal or septic whole blood spiked with fluorescein isothocyanate-labeled fibrinogen as described previously [14
]. Basically, fresh citrated blood was recalcified, introduced into an artificial circulation, and allowed to circulate continuously for 90 min. Thrombi were then removed from the tubes, blotted on filter paper, placed in 0.5 ml 10 mM Tris buffer/0.01% Tween 20, pH 7.5, and incubated at 37°C. Samples of supernatant (0.02 ml) were removed at time intervals and diluted 1/50 in Tris/Tween buffer. The fluorescence released, indicating fibrin degradation, was measured with a Perkin Elmer luminescence spectrophotometer (LS-5B) with an excitation wavelength of 500 nm and emission wavelength 520 nm.
Patient data
PPP was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for t-PA [20
] and PAI-1 [21
]. Other variables were measured in the diagnostic haematology laboratory.

RESULTS
Patients
Clinical parameters of the 12 patients studied are detailed
in
Table 1
. All patients fulfilled the criteria of septic shock
[
15
] and required one or more forms of organ support in the
form of assisted ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation,
inotrope infusion, renal dialysis, or haemofiltration. Three
patients in the same age range admitted to Intensive Care with
similar disorders to sepsis patients (see below) but who did
not develop the sepsis syndrome served as "ill controls". Comparison
was also made with thrombi made from blood of normal individuals
observed concurrently.
Clot lysis with normal and septic PMN
Normal PMN incorporated within purified clots did not lead to
clot lysis (
Fig. 2A
); however, when normal plasma was also
present within the clot, lysis occurred. The plasminogen activator
responsible was identified as u-PA by the inclusion of neutralizing
antibodies. Plasma alone did not mediate clot lysis (data not
shown). PMN from septic patients did not mediate clot lysis
when alone, and there was also no lysis upon incubation with
their own plasma (not shown; n=eight of 12). In some cases,
there was slow lysis upon inclusion of neutralizing antibodies
to PAI-1 and PAI-2 (four of 12; not shown). Septic PMN were
included in clots in the presence of normal plasma. In eight
of 12 patients, no clot lysis was detected
(Fig. 2B)
, but in
some (four of 12), minimal lysis was detected at later time-points.
Three patients in the Intensive Therapy Unit, without signs
of sepsis (with cholelithiasis and acute pancreatitis or after
major bowel surgery), served as ill controls for the sepsis
patients. Their PMN supported clot lysis in the presence of
plasma (data not shown). Normal PMN were incorporated into clots
along with septic plasma. In some cases, lysis was detected
(
Fig. 3
; n=six), but with plasma from other patients, there
was only slow or no lysis (not shown; n=six).
u-PA activity associated with PMN
Normal PMN alone exhibited plasminogen activator activity only
when incubated with plasma prior to SDS-PAGE (
Fig. 4A
, track
3), mirroring the clot lysis results and our previous observations
[
14
]. This band was not found in plasma alone (track 2) and
was identified as u-PA by the incorporation of neutralizing
antibodies [
14
]. In contrast to normal PMN, in six of 12 patients
with sepsis, there was no band of u-PA when their PMN were incubated
with normal plasma prior to analysis (track 5). In the other
six patients, a very weak band of activity was detected upon
incubation with normal plasma (not shown), but the activity
was always significantly less than that detected with normal
PMN. In this system, the PMN of the ill controls without sepsis
generated the band of u-PA activity (not shown).
Septic plasma contained no or trace free plasminogen activator
activity (
Fig. 4B
, track 1), although there was, as in normal
plasma, high molecular weight activity reflecting t-PA complexed
with inhibitors [
22
]; in some cases, these high molecular weight
bands were very strong. Septic plasma allowed a band of free
u-PA to be detected from normal PMN (
Fig. 4B
, track 2,) in
10/12 cases, of which two were very weak bands. Again, there
was no activity from the septic patient cells with patient plasma
(track 3, n=10/12). However, cells from the ill controls without
sepsis did generate the low molecular weight u-PA band in the
presence of plasma (not shown). These results broadly mirror
those found in the clot lysis system.
Do septic PMN retain u-PA antigen?
Septic and normal PMN were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Like normal PMN, those from the septic patients showed positive pink staining for u-PA (Fig. 5
). Negative controls showed no staining. However, this method does not allow for quantification of antigen.
Lysis of thrombi generated from whole blood
We have previously shown that thrombi from normal individuals
lyse spontaneously without the addition of plasminogen activators
and that this is a result of PMN-associated u-PA activity [
14
].
In a subset of patients, lysis of model thrombi was assessed
by fluorescence release. Thrombi from three of the septic patients
were analyzed on two separate days and on each day, were compared
with lysis of a control thrombus from a normal individual. The
thrombi from all three septic patients analyzed exhibited less
lysis than those from normal individuals (
Fig. 6A
and 6B
).
Relationship of activity to severity of disease
No patterns were observed in relation to activity and severity
of disease. Only two of the 12 patients studied did not survive.
PMN from one of these patients exhibited some activity in contact
with normal plasma, but those from the other did not. Two of
the PMN patients produced some u-PA activity with their own
plasma and normal plasma, suggesting that their cells were less
altered than those of the other patients. However, one of them
survived, and one died, so no correlation can be made. Both
nonsurvivors had plasma that allowed only a weak band of u-PA
to be detected from normal PMN, suggesting defects in their
plasma. All the patients whose plasma did not allow any u-PA
activity to be detected from normal PMN ultimately survived.

DISCUSSION
Proteases and inhibitors of the coagulation and fibrinolytic
cascades have usually been investigated only in the plasma,
and many studies ignore potential contributions from the cellular
components of blood. In vivo thrombi contain fibrin, platelet,
and red cell masses throughout which leukocytes, predominantly
polymorphs, are dispersed [
23
24
25
]. The observation that
PMN are essential for spontaneous lysis of model thrombi [
14
]
suggests that they may play significant roles in the resolution
or persistence of other fibrin deposits in the body.
This study identifies that in a clinical situation, frequently characterized by fibrin occlusion of the microcirculation, the ability of PMN to express u-PA activity is diminished or absent. This is despite there still being u-PA antigen present in the cells when analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The data indicate that the failure lies with the PMN themselves and not with the plasma, as cross-over experiments with normal plasma did not usually restore u-PA activity to PMN from sepsis patients. The converse observation that in some cases, normal PMN could support clot lysis and generate u-PA activity in the presence of sepsis plasma suggests that the plasma levels of inhibitors, although often very high, were not sufficient to inhibit u-PA activity by normal cells. This indicates that fibrinolytic activity generated on the cell surface may be relatively protected from inhibitors.
The lack of u-PA activity detected from sepsis PMN with apparent retention of antigen requires explanation. We have recently observed that the expression of u-PA activity from PMN depends on the presence of elastase inhibitor(s) that protect u-PA from elastase cleavage [26
]. These inhibitors are provided by plasma. In patients with sepsis, PMN degranulation frequently occurs, releasing cellular elastase [27
], which could lead to the cleavage of cellular u-PA and loss of activity, despite the presence of inhibitors. Elastase can cleave plasminogen to miniplasminogen, which consists of kringle 5 and the protease domain [28
, 29
], and detection of miniplasminogen in septic patients [11
] indicates elastase is active in this condition. An alternative mechanism could also operate. Plasmin is required to convert inactive, single-chain u-PA (scu-PA) to the active tcu-PA form [30
]. If the reduced plasma plasminogen levels observed in sepsis [7
, 11
] are paralleled by decreased plasmin(ogen) bound to PMN, local activation of scu-PA could be impaired. It is, however, possible that an unidentified mechanism is involved.
In addition to demonstrating that in sepsis, PMN-associated u-PA activity is reduced, we also detected diminished lysis of whole blood model thrombi from septic patients compared with thrombi made from normal donors. In normal individuals, lysis is largely a result of u-PA from PMN; therefore, the decrease in thrombus lysis in patients correlates with the lack of u-PA activity detected in purified cells. However, there was some residual activity in the septic model thrombi, suggesting that fibrin breakdown in these patients is not completely suppressed.
Loss of the ability of PMN to express u-PA activity and support fibrin lysis occurred in most, but not all, cases of sepsis studied. This may reflect, in part, at least, the time-point in the evolution of the septic episode at which the patients were studied. The time of their entry into the Intensive Therapy Unit is dependent on factors outwith our control and will differ from patient to patient. This possibility is currently under investigation.
The PMN of our ill controls retained the ability to generate u-PA activity, suggesting that its loss is a feature of the septic state. However, many other disease states require to be examined, and such studies are also underway.
The ability of normal PMN to generate u-PA activity in the presence of plasma seems likely to be a process of physiological significance. Our conclusions from the data presented here are that in a variety of types of severe sepsis, the ability of PMN to contribute u-PA activity and lyse fibrin is diminished in the early stages of illness. The absence of this activity may contribute to fibrinous occlusion of the microcirculation and the multiple organ damage characteristic of this disorder.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the British Heart Foundation and Tenovus (Scotland)
for funding this work, Mrs. Susan Berry for carrying out the
ELISA analysis, and Professor Nuala Booth for helpful discussion.
Received May 29, 2002;
revised October 16, 2003;
accepted March 26, 2004.

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