Pro-/anti-coagulants and oxygen transport in tissue.

Abstract

Haemostasis is systematically organized multiple processes that prevent blood flowing through a damaged vessel. In other words, haemostasis is a physiological state in which the concentration of coagulants in a human body is well balanced with that of anticoagulants. The normal human body has an excellent automatic control system for activating pro/anti-coagulants at an appropriate time. When there is any injury in the vessel, a clotting cascade is immediately activated to prevent leaking of blood from the vessel. Upon injury, vascular endothelium activates the haemostasis process (both activating and inhibiting the clots simultaneously) and platelets start to adhere. With platelet adhesion and contact activation stimulates thrombin, which aggregates platelets. Then fibrinogen becomes fibrin, which eventually forms fibrin meshes.3,9,12,16 These meshes trap blood cells and form blood clots. On the process of wound healing, anti-coagulants become activated to dissolve the clot inside of the vessel and, finally, to let the blood go through the healed and recanalized vessel. When haemostasis fails due to an imbalance in necessary coagulants and anticoagulants, it can lead to disastrous physiological conditions, such as bleeding in major organs, embolism, and even sudden death. Without maintaining haemostasis, human blood cannot be transported to various organs properly. Since oxygen is transported through hemoglobin in red blood cells, haemostasis is one of the most important physiological mechanisms and the crucial process for appropriate oxygen transport in the human body.