Thrombin Human
Description
Product Specs
Product Science Overview
Thrombin is a serine protease that plays a crucial role in the blood coagulation cascade. It is responsible for converting soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin, which forms the basis of a blood clot. Thrombin also activates various coagulation factors, including factors V, VII, VIII, XI, and XIII, and plays a role in platelet activation, inflammation, and wound healing .
Recombinant thrombin is produced using recombinant DNA technology, which involves inserting the gene encoding human thrombin into a host cell, such as Escherichia coli or Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. This method allows for the production of highly purified thrombin without the risk of contamination from human plasma-derived products .
In one study, researchers successfully expressed and purified human activated thrombin in a prokaryotic system using E. coli. The thrombin was fused with a 6×his-tag and purified using Ni²⁺-NTA affinity chromatography. The purified protein underwent air oxidation for proper refolding and was characterized by SDS-PAGE analysis, western blotting, and bioactivity assays .
Thrombin has several key biological functions:
- Coagulation: Thrombin converts fibrinogen to fibrin, forming a clot. It also activates factors V, VII, VIII, XI, and XIII, which accelerate the coagulation process .
- Platelet Activation: Thrombin activates platelets, which are essential for the formation of a stable blood clot .
- Inflammation and Wound Healing: Thrombin plays a role in inflammation and wound healing by interacting with various cell surface receptors and promoting cellular responses .
Recombinant thrombin is used in various clinical settings to control bleeding. It is particularly useful in surgeries where traditional methods of hemostasis, such as sutures or cautery, are ineffective or impractical. Recombinant thrombin is available under several brand names, including Artiss, Evarrest, Evicel, Evithrom, Tachosil, Tisseel, and Vistaseal .
The use of recombinant thrombin offers several advantages over plasma-derived thrombin:
- Purity: Recombinant thrombin is highly purified and free from plasma contaminants, reducing the risk of transmitting blood-borne pathogens .
- Consistency: The production process for recombinant thrombin is highly controlled, ensuring consistent quality and activity .
- Cost-Effectiveness: Producing recombinant thrombin in prokaryotic systems, such as E. coli, is more cost-effective and time-efficient compared to eukaryotic systems .
