The functions of plasminogen in cardiovascular disease.

Plasminogen (Plg) and its derivative serine protease, plasmin, together with the activators, inhibitors, modulators, and substrates of the Plg network, are postulated to regulate a wide variety of biologic responses that could influence cardiovascular disease. The development of Plg-deficient mice has provided an incisive approach to test these proposed functions in vivo. Several different models of atherosclerosis, restenosis, aneurysm, and thrombosis have been analyzed in these mice and have demonstrated profound effects of Plg on these events as well as on the inflammatory response, which contributes to these cardiovascular diseases. Plasmin (ogen) may influence the progression of cardiovascular diseases through its degradation of matrix proteins, including fibrin; its activation of matrix metalloproteinases; its regulation of growth factor and chemokine pathways; or its influence on directed cell migration. Dissection of these mechanisms represents a future challenge toward understanding the roles of Plg in vivo.