Urinary type plasminogen activator (u-PA) is present either as a single chain proenzyme form (scu-PA) with a very low plasminogen activating activity or as an activated two-chain form (tcu-PA). tcu-PA occurs as both high molecular weight (HMW tcu-PA) or low molecular weight (LMW tcu-PA) enzyme species. HMW tcu-PA is 2-3 times more potent than LMW tcu-PA in biological assays such as the clot lysis method but their amidolytic activity on the chromogenic substrate S-2444 is equivalent (1). The International Reference Preparation (IRP) of urokinase (66/46) was established by the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization of the WHO in 1968 (2) . Until then urokinase was expressed in casein Ploug (Leo standard) or CTA units (CTA standard). These units were related to the amount of urokinase capable to hydrolyze a certain amount of casein in a defined time. 1 CTA-U was assumed to be identical to 1 International Unit (IU). Although there was no official numerical relationship between Ploug units and IU, 1.5 IU has been accepted to be equivalent to 1 Ploug unit. The IRP 66/46 is a mixture of 66% LMW and 34% HMW forms of tcu-PA (3).
Following the need of a HMW International Standard, a new international standard (87/594) was established in 1989 (4).
Due to the complexity of u-PA it is difficult to determine a direct relationship between IU, CTA-U, Plough-U and nkat chromogenic substrate S-2444.
In 1983 Friberger (5) reported that 0.34 nkat chromogenic substrate S-2444 correspond to 110 Plough-U, 160 CTA-U or about 160 IU.
In an earlier work by Paar D and Marhulm D, on urokinase purified from urine (6) , 100 CTA-U corresponded to 0.27 nkat chromogenic substrate S-2444.
- Gaffney PJ.
Standards in fibrinolysis-current status and future challenges. Thromb Haemost 74, 1389-1397 (1995). - World Health Organization.
Twenty First Meeting. Expert Committee on Biological Standardization. WHO Tech Rep Ser No 413, 1968. - Philo RD and Gaffney PJ.
Assay methodology for urokinase. Its use in assessing the composition of mixtures of high- and low- molecular weight urokinases. Thromb Res 21, 81-88 (1981). - Gaffney PJ and Heath AB.
A collaborative study to establish a standard for high molecular weight urinary-type plasminogen activator (HMW/u-PA). Thromb Haemost 64, 398-401 (1990). - Friberger P et al. Synthetic peptide substrate assays and fibrinolysis and their application on automates. In: Sem Thromb and Haemost, Vol. 9, 281-300 (1983).
- Paar D and Marhulm D. Spectrophotometric determination of urokinase in urine after gel filtration, using the chromogenic substrate S-2444. J Clin Chem Clin Biochem 18, 557-562 (1980).