Quantitative Analysis of von Willebrand Factor Propeptide Release In Vivo: Effect of Experimental Endotoxemia and Administration of l-Deamino-8-D- Arginine Vasopressin in Humans

The results of studies with cultured endothelial cells have shown that most von Willebrand factor (vWF) synthesized is directly secreted (constitutive pathway) and consists of both mature vWF, its precursor molecule pro-vWF, and the cleaved vWF prosequence. Only fully processed, functionally mature vWF is stored within the cell, together with the propeptide, and leaves the cell only on stimulation (regulated secretion). Both in resting and stimulated cultured endothelial cells, the stoichiometry of the released propeptide to the released mature vWF is essentially equimolar. In the present study, we have memured the molar ratio of propeptide to mature vWF in vivo, both under resting conditions and conditions that reflect activation of the endothelium. To this end, we devised a method that allows the measurement of the propeptide (vW antigen II) on a quantitative, ie, molar basis, using purified recombinant propeptide as a standard. Our results show that the molar concentration of the pro-