Phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine synergistically promote heparin's anticoagulant effect.

The response of coagulation tests to heparin can be expressed as the coagulation time of plasma containing heparin divided by the coagulation time of the same plasma without heparin (CT ratio). The purpose of the present study was to assess the influence of liposomes on these response to heparin of four coagulation tests: the kaolin-induced coagulation time, the tissue factor-induced coagulation time, the factor Xa-induced coagulation time, and the thrombin-induced coagulation time. Liposomes were prepared from dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE), and dioleoylphosphatidylserine (DOPS). High concentrations of DOPS/DOPE/DOPC (20:40:40) liposomes enhanced the CT ratio of the four coagulation tests, more than DOPS/DOPC (20:80) or DOPE/DOPC (40:60) or a mixture of DOPS/DOPC and DOPE/DOPC liposomes. These experiments demonstrate that there is synergism between DOPS and DOPE in promoting heparin's anticoagulant effect if both phospholipids are incorporated into the same liposome surface.