Ex-Vivo and In-Vitro Evidence that Low Molecular Weight Heparins Exhibit Less Binding to Plasma Proteins than Unfractionated Heparin

Edward Young; Philip Wells; Scott Holloway; Jeffrey Weitz; Jack Hirsh

doi:10.1055/s-0038-1642434

Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Table of Contents

Thromb Haemost 1994; 71(03): 300-304
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1642434

Original Article

Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart

Ex-Vivo and In-Vitro Evidence that Low Molecular Weight Heparins Exhibit Less Binding to Plasma Proteins than Unfractionated Heparin

Edward Young

¹The Hamilton Civic Hospitals Research Centre and the Department of Pathology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

,

Philip Wells

²The Hamilton Civic Hospitals Research Centre and the Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

,

Scott Holloway

³The Dept. of Clinical Research and Development, Wyeth-Ayerst, Philadelphia, USA

,

Jeffrey Weitz

²The Hamilton Civic Hospitals Research Centre and the Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

,

Jack Hirsh

²The Hamilton Civic Hospitals Research Centre and the Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

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Summary

We have compared the non-specific binding of unfractionated heparin (UFH) with that of low molecular weight heparin (LMWFl) to plasma proteins both ex vivo and in vitro. Non specific binding to plas ma proteins was assessed by comparing the heparin levels measured as anti-factor Xa activity before and after the addition of low affinity heparin, which is essentially devoid of anti-factor Xa activity, in order to displace heparin bound to plasma proteins. For the ex-vivo studies, we compared the recovery of UFH and a LMWH (ardeparin) from the plasma of patients participating in a randomized trial of post operative venous thrombosis prophylaxis. For the in-vitro studies, we compared the recovery of UFH and 4 different LMWHs when added to the plasma from healthy volunteers and from patients with suspected venous thromboembolic disease. The results indicate that the recovery of LMWH is much less affected by nonspecific binding to plasma proteins both ex-vivo and in-vitro. In addition, there are differences between the LMWHs with respect to their plasma protein-binding.

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References

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