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Coagulation and fibrinolytic factors in the blood were measured during heparin-urokinase (UK)-pulse combined therapy in order to investigate the background for the availability of the therapy. Five patients with nephritis resistant to conventional treatment were treated with this combined therapy (heparin: 350-450 U/kg day, continuously i.v. during the therapy; UK: 5000 IU/kg/2 hrs, i.v., two times a day, for 3 days = 1 Kur; methylprednisolone 20 mg/kg/2hrs, d.i.v., for 3 days = 1 Kur; 3 Kurs of UK and 3 Kurs of pulse were alternately administered). 1) Blood levels of alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor (alpha 2-PI) antigen were decreased and those of alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor.plasmin complex (alpha 2-PI. PmC) were elevated during 3 Kurs of UK administration. Accordingly, activation of the fibrinolytic system was confirmed during the combined therapy, suggesting that both alpha 2-PI and alpha 2-PI.PmC were relevant in monitoring the fibrinolytic state in blood. 2) Both tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels were sustained continuously in the elevated levels in the blood during both UK administration and pulse therapy. This movement of t-PA and PAI-1 was independent of that of the other fibrinolytic factors, such as alpha 2-PI,alpha 2-PI.PmC and plasminogen. 3) Inflammatory reactants such as fibrinogen, alpha 2-PI,alpha 2-macroglobulin and alpha 1-antitrypsin decreased more significantly during this heparin-urokinase-pulse combined therapy than during our previous combined therapy consisting of only heparin and urokinase. Therefore, we conclude that the anti-inflammatory effect was reinforced by adding the pulse therapy and that the combined therapy had some effect on the release of t-PA from vascular endothelial cells.