The Effect of Age on the Glycosylation of Human Alpha-2-Macroglobulin

Abstract Introduction: Alpha-2-macroglobulin (a2m) is a plasma glycoprotein capable of inhibiting all classes of serine proteases. Within the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems, a2m inhibits several critical factors, including thrombin, plasmin, and activated protein C. Previous studies have shown that coagulation factor concentrations are highly variable with age. Notably, a2m levels are approximately twice as high in …