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R-tpa Definition from Medicine Dictionaries & Glossaries
Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. A protein that is made by the body and that helps dissolve blood clots. It can also be made in the laboratory and is used in the treatment of heart attack and stroke. It is also being studied in the treatment of cancer. r-tPA belongs to the family of drugs called systemic thrombolytic agents. Also called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), Activase, and Alteplase.
A Service of the National Cancer Institute.R-tpa Definition from Encyclopedia Dictionaries & Glossaries
Tissue plasminogen activator (abbreviated tPA or PLAT) is a protein involved in the breakdown of blood clots. It is a serine protease found on endothelial cells, the cells that line the blood vessels. As an enzyme, it catalyzes the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, the major enzyme responsible for clot breakdown. Because it works on the clotting system, tPA is used in clinical medicine to treat embolic or thrombotic stroke. Use is contraindicated in hemorrhagic stroke and head trauma.
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