INTRODUCTIONDeep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms within a deep vein, especially in leg veins such as the femoral vein. The prevalence of DVT is slightly higher in men than in women [1] and increases with age [2]. Approximately 20%-50% of patients after a first DVT event suffer from post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), which involves intractable edema, pain, a sensation of heaviness, pigmentation, and even venous ulcers in severe cases [1,3]. In addition, DVT can be potentially life-threatening when a blood clot breaks off and develops into pulmonary embolism (PE), leading to sudden cardiovascular collapse and death [4,5]. DVT and PE form a single disease process named venous thromboembolism (VTE), which is the third most common vascular disease in the United States [6,7]. The main consequences of DVT are death, recurrence, PTS, and major bleeding caused by anticoagulation [5,8]. Consequently, the quality of life of patients with DVT is severely affected, especially when PTS is present [5,9]. Approximately 900,000 new cases of DVT are estimated each year in the United States alone, with a mortality rate close to 300,000 cases per year [10,11]. Therefore, it is important and necessary to study the molecular mechanism of DVT and to explore alternative therapies.