The role of tissue factor in thrombosis and hemostasis

The tissue factor (TF) is one of the most important regulators of arterial thrombosis. Because arterial thrombosis is the pathophysiologic background of acute coronary syndrome, the possible impact of blocking the arterial thrombosis on its onset is a challenging problem. The investigations of TF brought a new concept of "cell-based coagulation model" which highlighted the question of blood-borne TF as a source of TF in circulating blood. In this review we summarize essential information on the pathophysiology, molecular structure, expression and distribution of TF and we propose a novel concept of blood-borne TF, suggesting the possibilities of inhibition of the coagulation cascade with newly synthetized drugs.