The anticoagulant properties of mast cell product, chondroitin sulphate E

The anticoagulant potency in vitro of chondroitin sulphate E has been found to be similar to that of the heparinoids. In purified systems chondroitin sulphate E was shown to be principally an activator of heparin cofactor II. Maximum acceleration of heparin cofactor II:thrombin interaction was 185-fold (9.3 X 10(7) M-1 min-1), antithrombin III:thrombin interaction was 11-fold (4.16 X 10(6) M-1 min-1) and antithrombin III:factor Xa was 146-fold (3.86 X 10(6) M-1 min-1). Chondroitin sulphate E was observed to prolong the thrombin clotting time of fibrinogen in the absence of antithrombin III and heparin cofactor II. The effect appeared to be related to interference in thrombin:fibrinogen interaction rather than in fibrin monomer polymerization.