An international team of scientists has concluded that the process of blood clot formation occurs differently than has been believed for decades.
It was previously believed that the protein molecules (fibrinogen), when in contact with air, align in a single slanted layer, but experiments have shown that they are arranged horizontally in several layers, according to the British newspaper "Financial Times".
This discovery could lead to a change in the treatment of blood clotting disorders, the newspaper wrote.
Researchers from Britain, Sweden, and France, at the Laou-Langevin Institute in Grenoble, studied the behavior of fibrinogen , a key component in blood clotting. It was previously believed that its molecules, upon contact with air, aligned in a single, slanted layer. However, experiments showed that they actually arrange themselves horizontally in several layers, similar to a stack of leaves.
The newspaper notes that the findings could have applications in treating hemophilia, as well as in developing more effective glucose monitoring methods for diabetic patients. They are particularly relevant to treating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in which fibrinogen leaks into the alveoli due to lung inflammation, causing blood clots and respiratory failure. Researchers hope their findings will contribute to the development of new treatments for this serious disease, according to the newspaper.
To determine the significance of these findings, further experiments will be needed to confirm whether this multilayered organization of fibrinogen still exists, as it interacts with numerous other proteins, lipids, and interfaces. This was stated by Robert Jacobs
, a chemist at Oxford University who was not involved in the project.
