Regions of constantly increased plasminogen activator activity along the intima of the normal aorta.

Histochemical studies of the aorta in newborn, young, and adult rats showed that the intima in the branching regions and at the beginning of the branches has a constantly increased plasminogen activator activity in comparison with the nonbranching regions. The aortic valve also shows constantly increased activator activity. The intimal activator activity is variable in the nonbranching regions, depending on the age and the anatomical area of the aorta. In young rats (20--30 days), the overall plasminogen activator activity in the aortic intima is higher than in adult rats (2--4 months), while the activity is variable in newborn rats. The intimal activator activity is generally higher in the thoracic aorta than in the abdominal aorta (in the nonbranching regions). The aortic wall has a low plasmin inhibitor capacity. The pattern of the endothelial plasminogen activator activity at different ages and anatomical areas of the aorta, in combination with the corresponding pattern of the aortic endothelial cell turnover, gives valuable information about the mechanism(s) of the production and normal (nonstressed) release of the endothelial plasminogen activator.