Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1: a potential etiological role in livedoid vasculopathy

Livedoid vasculopathy (LV) is a chronic, recurrent skin disorder with unknown aetiology and pathogenesis that seriously affects the quality of life of people who suffer from it. Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 is a primary inhibitory component of the endogenous fibrinolytic system in blood coagulation. PAI-1 also plays a role in many other physiological processes and activities, including thrombosis, fibrosis, wound healing, angiogenesis, inflammation, cell migration, and adhesion. Enhanced expression and genotype polymorphism of PAI-1 have been observed in LV patients. In this review, we summarise the known functions of PAI-1 with emphasis on the roles that PAI-1 probably plays in the pathogenesis of LV, thereby illustrating that PAI-1 represents a potential LV biomarker and therapeutic target for treating LV.