Effects of heparin fractions of different affinities to antithrombin III and thrombin on the inactivation of thrombin and factor Xa by antithrombin III.

To investigate the relative contribution of heparin-binding thrombin and antithrombin III to the enhancement of the rate of inactivation of thrombin by antithrombin III, standard heparin was fractionated on matrix-linked thrombin and (or) antithrombin III. There was a good correlation between heparin affinity for antithrombin III and its ability to enhance the inactivation of thrombin and factor Xa. In addition, there was a good correlation between affinity of heparin for thrombin and its catalytic activity on the inactivation of thrombin by antithrombin III. Thus fractions with high affinity to thrombin had similar rate-enhancing activity for thrombin inactivation to that of fractions with high affinity to antithrombin III. Fractions with high affinity to both proteins were more potent than fractions with high affinity to either protein alone. No significant differences in mean molecular weight were observed among the various heparin fractions. A heparin fraction with very low affinity to thrombin and high affinity to antithrombin III was prepared by repeated fractionation of a low molecular weight heparin on the two affinity columns. This fraction had very weak rate-enhancing activity for the inactivation of thrombin by antithrombin III, but retained substantial activity for the inactivation of factor Xa. The results of these studies support the concept that, for both standard and low molecular weight heparin, the enhancement of the inactivation of thrombin by antithrombin III requires the interaction of the heparin with both thrombin and antithrombin III.