enzyme inhibition by the C1-inhibitor (150 nM).
Correspondence
M.S. Araujo
Departamento de Bioquimica
EPM, UNIFESP
Rua Tres de Maio, 100, 6o andar
04044-020 Sao Paulo, SP
Brasil
Fax: +55-11-5572-3006
E-mail: mariana.bioq@unifesp.epm.br
Presented at SIMEC 2002
(International Symposium
on Extracellular Matrix),
Angra dos Reis, RJ, Brazil,
October 7-10, 2002.
Research supported by FAPESP, CNPq
and FADA (UNIFESP-SPDM).
Received November 29, 2002
Accepted May 29, 2003
Key words
· Glycosaminoglycans
· Human plasma kallikrein
· Plasminogen
· Factor XII
· C1-inhibitor
· Antithrombin
Plasma prekallikrein is a protein that cir-
culates in blood as the zymogen of human
plasma kallikrein (huPK). Kallikrein may be
involved in several physiological pathways
such as activation of factor XII (1) and plas-
minogen by direct cleavage of the zymogen
(2) or by activation of pro-urokinase (3).
The participation of huPK in physiologi-
cal processes requires the existence of sev-
eralcontrollingfactors.Specificproteinshave
been found to inhibit huPK activity. On the
other hand, biological compounds in contact
with circulating proteinases such as plasma
kallikrein are thought to affect their activity
(4,5). The glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are

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