APC Blood Collection Tubes, 3 ml, 50 tubes

Activated protein C (APC) is a serine protease with anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic functions. The active protein is generated from its precursor zymogen protein C (PC) on the surface of endothelial cells by an activation complex formed by thrombin and thrombomodulin (TM). APC released from the endothelial cell surface down-regulates thrombin formation by cleavage of the activated cofactors V and VIII, whereas APC still bound to the cell surface induces anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective signaling responses in endothelial cells. A failure to generate sufficient amounts of APC is associated with a prothrombotic and a hyperinflammatory phenotype. The severity of the clinical symptoms depends on the residual APC activity. The prothrombotic phenotype is the leading symptom in milder forms of APC deficiency such as in heterozygous PC deficiency, whereas more severe forms of APC deficiency such as in homozygous PC deficiency are characterized by a thromboinflammatory phenotype. Acquired APC dysfunction is critically involved in the pathogenesis of several thromboinflammatory diseases including severe sepsis.

Download APC_fact sheet_190313.pdf