Abstract-Hemostasis requires both platelets and the coagulation system. At sites of vessel injury, bleeding is minimized by the formation of a hemostatic plug consisting of platelets and fibrin. The traditional view of the regulation of blood coagulation is that the initiation phase is triggered by the extrinsic pathway, whereas amplification requires the intrinsic pathway. The extrinsic pathway consists of the transmembrane receptor tissue factor (TF) and plasma factor VII/VIIa (FVII/FVIIa), and the intrinsic pathway consists of plasma FXI, FIX, and FVIII. Under physiological conditions, TF is constitutively expressed by adventitial cells surrounding blood vessels and initiates clotting. In addition so-called blood-borne TF in the form of cell-derived microparticles (MPs) and TF expression within platelets suggests that TF may play a role in the amplification phase of the coagulation cascade. Under pathologic conditions, TF is expressed by monocytes, neutrophils, endothelial cells, and platelets, which results in an elevation of the levels of circulating TF-positive MPs. TF expression within the vasculature likely contributes to thrombosis in a variety of diseases. Understanding how the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation contributes to hemostasis and thrombosis may lead to the development of safe and effective hemostatic agents and antithrombotic drugs. Key Words: coagulation Ⅲ arterial thrombosis Ⅲ deep vein thrombosis T he hemostatic system maintains blood in a fluid state under normal conditions and responds to vessel injury by the rapid formation of a clot. Disruption of the endothelium exposes platelets to collagen in the vessel wall and plasma factor VII/VIIa (FVII/FVIIa) to extravascular tissue factor (TF; Figure 1). Other proteins, such as von Willebrand factor (vWF), facilitate the binding of platelets to the injured vessel wall. The TF:FVIIa complex is traditionally referred to as the extrinsic pathway and is proposed to be the primary activator of the coagulation protease cascade in vivo. Subsequently, propagation of the thrombus involves recruitment of additional platelets and amplification of the coagulation cascade by the intrinsic pathway of blood coagulation, which includes the hemophilia factors FVIII and FIX (Figure 1). Importantly, platelets play a critical role in the amplification of the coagulation cascade by providing a thrombogenic surface. Finally, fibrin stabilizes the platelet-rich thrombus (Figure 1). This review focuses on the role of the extrinsic pathway (TF and FVIIa) in hemostasis and thrombosis.
See cover TF and FVII in HemostasisHemostasis is the protective physiological response to vascular injury that results in exposure of blood components to the subendothelial layers of the vessel wall. TF is constitutively expressed by certain cells within the vessel wall and cells surrounding blood vessels, such as vascular smooth muscle cells, pericytes, and adventitial fibroblasts. 1-5 TF is also expressed in a tissue-specific pattern with high levels in the brain, lung, kidney, he...