Recombinant Peptides in Thrombolysis

Recombinant thrombolytic peptides are mainly represented by recombinant forms of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), a proteolytic enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of plasminogen into active plasmin, which then functions to dissolve clots. The three clinically relevant recombinant thrombolytic peptides are alteplase (t-PA), reteplase (r-PA), and tenecteplase (TNK). r-PA and TNK have been structurally modified from native t-PA to increase their half-life and fibrin specificity. Thrombolytics play an important role in several diseases, including ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. Thrombolytic therapy has evolved into an alternative treatment for STEMI, reserved predominantly for patients who do not have access to timely percutaneous coronary intervention. In patients with DVT/PE or arterial related critical limb ischemia, the use of thrombolytic therapy is limited to specific patient populations. Thrombolytic therapy is the treatment of choice for ischemic stroke in patients who present <= 3 hours following the onset of symptoms. Moreover, thrombolytic therapy is used to restore function to stenotized central venous access devices as well as occluded hemodialysis access grafts.