Plasminogen (Plg) and its derivative serine protease, plasmin, together with the activators,
inhibitors, modulators, and substrates of the Plg network, are postulated to regulate a wide
variety of biologic responses that could influence cardiovascular disease. The development
of Plg-deficient mice has provided an incisive approach to test these proposed functions in
vivo. Several different models of atherosclerosis, restenosis, aneurysm, and thrombosis
have been analyzed in these mice and have demonstrated profound effects of Plg on these …