Growth factors, tissue and urokinase-type plasminogen activators in venous ulcers.

Bioimmunoassays for tissue and urokinase-type plasminogen activators (t-pA and u-pA), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for t-pA were performed on biopsies from the edge and base of 15 venous ulcers. TGF-beta 1, bFGF and PDGF were assessed by ELISA in the edge and base of 19 further venous ulcers and 7 biopsies of normal skin. The presence of all three growth factors and u-pA was confirmed immunohistochemically. T-pA was detected …