RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Pharmacology of Heparin and Related Drugs
JF Pharmacological Reviews
JO Pharmacol Rev
FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
SP 76
OP 141
DO 10.1124/pr.115.011247
VO 68
IS 1
A1 Barbara Mulloy
A1 John Hogwood
A1 Elaine Gray
A1 Rebecca Lever
A1 Clive P. Page
A2 David R. Sibley
YR 2016
UL http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/68/1/76.abstract
AB Heparin has been recognized as a valuable anticoagulant and antithrombotic for several decades and is still widely used in clinical practice for a variety of indications. The anticoagulant activity of heparin is mainly attributable to the action of a specific pentasaccharide sequence that acts in concert with antithrombin, a plasma coagulation factor inhibitor. This observation has led to the development of synthetic heparin mimetics for clinical use. However, it is increasingly recognized that heparin has many other pharmacological properties, including but not limited to antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antimetastatic actions. Many of these activities are independent of its anticoagulant activity, although the mechanisms of these other activities are currently less well defined. Nonetheless, heparin is being exploited for clinical uses beyond anticoagulation and developed for a wide range of clinical disorders. This article provides a “state of the art” review of our current understanding of the pharmacology of heparin and related drugs and an overview of the status of development of such drugs.