Targeting hemostatic enzymes: from mechanistic insights to therapeutic frontiers.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines the enzymatic regulation of coagulation and fibrinolysis, focusing on key players such as thrombin, plasmin, and ADAMTS13. We highlight how dysregulation of these enzymes contributes to thrombotic and hemorrhagic disorders and review emerging diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic strategies.

RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies demonstrate the prognostic utility of biomarkers such as thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) and plasmin-α2-antiplasmin (PAP) complexes across critical illnesses including trauma, sepsis, and stroke. Advances in plasmin and thrombin generation assays, enzyme-specific assays, and enzyme-modulating therapies (e.g., factor XI inhibitors and recombinant ADAMTS13) are reshaping approaches to hemostatic balance.

SUMMARY: Understanding hemostatic enzymatic regulation offers new avenues for risk stratification, diagnosis, and treatment of coagulation disorders. Although significant progress has been made, challenges remain in translating laboratory findings to clinical practice, necessitating further large-scale validation. Precision-guided enzymatic therapies hold promise for improving outcomes in acute care settings.