Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

DSPA alpha — Properties of the plasminogen activators of the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus

1995; Churchill Livingstone; Volume: 9; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0268-9499(08)80020-3

2213-9761

Dietrich C. Gulba, Michael Praus, W. Witt,

Blood Coagulation and Thrombosis Mechanisms

The saliva of the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus contains a family of potent plasminogen activators, which were named DSPAs after their original source (Desmodus salivary plasminogen activators). The DSPAs share a high structural homology with t-PA. Four different variants of DSPA have been discovered, called DSPA alpha1, alpha2, beta and gamma, out of which, for its unique thrombolytic properties, DSPA α1 has been selected for further development. It has a high potential to develop into a third generation thrombolytic drug. DSPA α1 is a protein with high thrombolytic potency and efficacy. Unlike all other plasminogen activators currently in use, it is almost completely fibrin specific. Furthermore, its prolonged half-life seems to warrant single bolus administration. Above all, recanalization with DSPA α1 seems to occur more rapidly and more completely and, unlike with other plasminogen activators, is sustained over prolonged time periods. Despite being a non human protein its antigenicity is low and only repeated administrations of the substance in short time intervals may non consistently produce low titers of non neutralizing antibodies. The favorable thrombolytic profile of DSPA α1 warrants studying in future thrombolytic trials.