Comparative lytic efficacy of rt-PA and ultrasound in porcine versus human clots

Abstract

The rt-PA lytic efficacy observed for porcine clots in porcine plasma was 22 times lower than for human clots in human plasma reported previously. Further, porcine clots did not exhibit increased lysis with adjuvant Definity® and US exposure. However, the rt-PA lytic susceptibility of the porcine clots in human plasma was similar to that of human clots in human plasma. Human clots perfused with porcine plasma did not respond to rt-PA, but adjuvant use of Definity® and US enhanced lysis. These results reveal considerable differences in lytic susceptibility of porcine clots and human clots to rt-PA. The use of porcine clot models to test new human thrombolytic therapies may necessitate modulation of coagulation and thrombolytic factors to reflect human hemostasis accurately.