Background: Human plasminogen is a plasma glycoprotein synthesized mainly in the liver. Conversion of plasminogen to plasmin by plasminogen activators is a key event in the fibrinolytic system. In this study, we investigated the effects of two anti-human plasminogen monoclonal antibodies, A1D12 and MC2B8 on Glu-plasminogen activation in presence of u-PA, t-PA and streptokinase.

Methods: Producing of Hybridoma antibodies was performed by fusion of spleen cells from BALB/C mice immunized with Glu-plasminogen and NS1 myeloma cells. Antibody binding to Human Glu-plasminogen was assessed using an ELISA assay. Activation of plasminogen was determined by measuring plasmin generation using the chromogenic substrate S-2251 and the effect of monoclonal antibodies, A1D12 and MC2B8 on plasminogen activation in solution was then evaluated. Initial rates and kinetic parameters of plasminogen activation in the presence of monoclonal antibodies were calculated. The effect of the monoclonal antibody MC2B8 on the rate of plasmin hydrolysis was measured. The effect of F(ab')2 fragment of A1D12 on u-PA catalyzed-plasminogen activation also compared with the effect of the whole antibody in this reaction.

Results: ELISA assay showed that the antibodies reacted well with antigens. A1D12 increased the maximum velocity (Vmax) of plasminogen activation by each of the three plasminogen activators and MC2B8 decreased it. In all activation reactions, the KM value of plasminogen activation did not significantly change in the presence of antibody A1D12 whereas antibody MC2B8 increased the KM value of plasminogen activation by u-PA, fibrin monomer dependent t-PA and streptokinase. Monoclonal antibody MC2B8 had no significant effect on plasmin hydrolysis rate of synthetic substrate S-2251. Activation rate of plasminogen by u-PA in the lower concentration of F (ab)2 fragment of A1D12 was identical to activation in the presence of the whole antibody.

Conclusion: The binding of the A1D12 F(ab) region to Glu-plasminogen increases the catalytic efficiency of plasminogen activation by plasminogen activators. Therefore, it may be useful to apply clinically A1D12 for the therapy of thromboembolic events such as myocardial infarction by humanizing the F(ab) fragment of the A1D12 antibody. Inhibition pattern of antibody MC2B8 obey the mixed type of enzyme inhibition by binding the antibody probably at, or near, the cleavage site of Glu-plasminogen.