A review of the blood coagulation system of fish

Resumo

Hemostasis is a function of paramount importance when an animal is responding to an injury or has a blood coagulation disorder. It is important to stop the bleeding after a vascular injury, in order to prevent blood loss, so the body needs an effective coagulation mechanism.  In fish, despite the fact that there are many studies about the intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation factors, some significant questions about the regulation of the coagulation system remain unanswered.  Therefore, the following review was written to help consolidate the information in the literature so it can be compared and discussed. Several aspects of the coagulation mechanisms in teleost fish, including some of the related substances involved in this process, the factors that are involved in hemostasis, the implications of thrombocytes in the intrinsic coagulation system, and the differences in the methods of measuring blood clotting time are discussed in this review.