Department of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis Research, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. bernd.blinder@univie.ac.at
Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) inhibits plasminogen activators (u-PA and t-PA) by forming stable complexes endocytosed via a low-density lipoprotein receptor superfamily member-dependent mechanism. PAI-1 circulates actively in plasma and latently in platelets but is also secreted and deposited into the matrix by several cells, where it participates in tissue repair processes.