Characterization of the plasma and blood anticoagulant potential of structurally and mechanistically novel oligomers of 4-hydroxycinnamic acids.

Recently, we designed sulfated dehydropolymers (DHPs) of 4-hydroxycinnamic acids that displayed interesting anticoagulant properties. Structurally and mechanistically, sulfated DHPs are radically different from all the anticoagulants studied to date. To assess whether their unique mechanism and structure is worth exploiting for further rational design of homogeneous DHP-based molecules, we investigated their anticoagulant potential in human plasma and blood using a range of clotting assays. Sulfated DHPs prolong plasma clotting times, prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin times at concentrations comparable to the clinically used low-molecular-weight heparin, enoxaparin. Fibrin formation studies on human plasma show that there is a structural dependence of anticoagulant action. Human whole blood studies using thromboelastography and hemostasis analysis system indicate that they are 17-140-fold less potent than enoxaparin. These results demonstrate that sulfated DHPs possess good in-vitro and ex-vivo activity, which will likely be improved through a rational design.