Heparin is a strongly sulfated glycosaminoglycan used clinically as an anticoagulant, and it acts by accelerating the inhibition of thrombin by antithrombin. Its activity depends on a specific pentasaccharide sequence that binds antithrombin, so not every chain in a commercial preparation is active [1]. The molecule is heterogeneous in chain length and in sulfate content, and this heterogeneity is the main reason the potency is expressed in international units rather than by mass [2]. Because it is strongly anionic, heparin binds to many proteins and to positively charged surfaces, which is the basis of its role as a coating on blood-contacting devices [3]. Immobilised on a polymer surface it reduces thrombus formation without being released into the circulation, although the long-term stability of the coating is uncertain [4]. Its short half-life in vivo has driven the development of low-molecular-weight fractions and of synthetic analogues that retain the antithrombin-binding sequence [5].
- anticoagulant
- coagulation cascade
- glycosaminoglycan
- antithrombin
- pentasaccharide
- sulfation
- surface coating
- low-molecular-weight heparin
Blood Coagulation and Thrombosis Mechanisms·Hematology·Medicine·Health Sciences
References
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