The significance of thromboembolic complications in the etiology and development of cardiovascular diseases, such as ischaemic heart disease or myocardial infarction, is undisputable and well documented. It is commonly believed that intravascular thrombi may cause vessel narrowing and even lead to complete vessel occulsion. When encountering circulation, narrowing of vascular lumen, such as intravascular clots and platelet aggregates, is believed to result in thromboembolisms. Activation of the fibrinolytic system allows for the proteolysis of fibrin clots, the main components of vascular thrombi, and thus it may lead to vascular reperfusion. According to numerous data presented during the 15th Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (1995), the superior indications for the use of thrombolytic therapy are acute myocardial infarction and extensive pulmonary embolism. It is still more frequently used in the therapy of deep venous thrombosis and occlusions of peripheral arterial vessels. Treatment of cerebral stroke with thrombolytic agents is under experimental studies. The development of modern techniques in molecular biology, genetic engineering and biotechnology has led to the 'eruption' of quite new perspectives in thrombolytic pharmacology.
Staphylokinase is a new promising therapeutic agent with an expanding clinical application in the treatment of vascular disease.In the present paper the autors discuss the biochemical and physiological properties of the recombinant protein.The methods and techniques of protein synthesis, isolation and purification, including the genetic engineering approaches are critically summarized.The emphasis is put onto the critical review of the experiments concerning the use of ataphylokinase in thrombotic models in experimental animals.Moreover, we discuss the potential role and advantages of staphylokinase over the other thrombolytic agents in the treatment of cardiovascular disease in humans.
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