The mesothelium: its fibrinolytic properties.

We have investigated the fibrinolytic properties of the mesothelium by developing a test system in which standard tissue samples can be assessed in a comparative and semi-quantitative manner. The problem whether plasminogen activators were generated by the mesothelium itself or were transported from a subserosal site was also studied. A standard system was developed by using a uniform gelatin disc to obtain a monolayer imprint of mesothelium and subsequently incorporating several of these samples on a fibrin plate. Pure cultures of mesothelial cells were able to induce fibrinolysis.