Antithrombin prevents endotoxin-induced pulmonary vascular injury by inhibiting leukocyte activation.

Replacement of antithrombin has proved to be effective for treating disseminated intravascular coagulation. The administration of antithrombin is also useful for preventing organ failure in animals challenged with endotoxin or bacteria, and it increases the survival rate of such animals. Since inhibition of coagulation abnormalities by heparin failed to prevent organ failure in animals challenged with bacteria, antithrombin might exert therapeutic effects independently of its anticoagulant effect. These therapeutic mechanisms of antithrombin have been explored by using animal models of septicemia. Antithrombin prevents pulmonary vascular injury by inhibiting leukocyte activation in rats challenged with endotoxin. A higher dose of antithrombin was required to prevent pulmonary vascular injury than was required to inhibit disseminated intravascular coagulation. This preventive effect of antithrombin is mediated by the promotion of endothelial release of prostacyclin, an inhibitor of leukocyte activation. An interaction between antithrombin and heparin-like glycosaminoglycans on the endothelial cell surface appears to be important for this effect. Heparin inhibits such therapeutic effects of antithrombin by preventing it from interacting with the cell surface heparin-like glycosaminoglycans. Since activated leukocytes are of critical importance in patients with sepsis-associated organ failure, this anti-inflammatory activity of antithrombin may explain why it can prevent organ failure as well as coagulation abnormalities in patients with sepsis.