Assay of dermatan sulfate cofactor (heparin cofactor II) activity in human plasma

An assay measuring the thrombin inactivating effect of human plasma in the presence of dermatan sulfate (DS) is described. Test plasma, diluted 1/50, is incubated with human thrombin in the presence of DS. Remaining thrombin is determined with chromogenic substrate 2AcOH . H-D-CHG-Ala-Arg-pNA. Three dilutions of reference plasma suffice and the standard curve is linear. Antithrombin III (AT) exerts a small (3-8%) effect in the assay. When test plasma contains heparin above 0.05 U/ml, this unspecific effect of AT increases, but it may be abolished by antibodies against AT. In a normal material (n = 50), the SD of DS cofactor activity was greater (15%) than that of AT (8.7%). DS cofactor was normal in hereditary AT deficiency and in 15 patients with deep venous thrombosis. In liver cirrhosis and in DIC, both inhibitors were markedly depressed, to similar degrees (r = 0.84).