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Related Experiment Videos

Stearic acid, clotting, and thrombosis

J C Hoak1

  • 1Division of Blood Diseases and Resources, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|December 1, 1994
PubMed
Summary

Stearic acid can cause blood clots by activating factor XII and aggregating platelets. Dietary stearic acid is unlikely to cause thrombosis in humans unless fatty acid transport is abnormal.

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Hematology
  • Physiology

Background:

  • Stearic acid, a long-chain saturated fatty acid, has been implicated in blood coagulation.
  • The mechanisms by which fatty acids influence hemostasis are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the thrombogenic potential of stearic acid.
  • To elucidate the role of factor XII and platelet aggregation in stearic acid-induced hypercoagulability.
  • To determine the conditions under which stearic acid may pose a thrombotic risk in humans.

Main Methods:

  • Administration of unbound stearic acid (sodium salt) to dogs and birds.
  • Observation of hypercoagulability and thrombosis.
  • Investigation of the protective role of albumin binding.
  • Analysis of free fatty acid (FFA) to albumin molar ratios.

Main Results:

  • In dogs, stearic acid injection led to massive thrombosis and death, linked to factor XII activation and platelet aggregation.
  • Birds, deficient in factor XII, did not exhibit hypercoagulability or thrombosis.
  • Albumin binding of stearic acid at an FFA-albumin molar ratio < 2 prevented thrombotic effects.
  • No experimental evidence supports dietary stearic acid causing thrombosis in humans.

Conclusions:

  • Stearic acid can induce hypercoagulability and thrombosis via factor XII and platelet activation.
  • Thrombotic risk in humans may arise from aberrant fatty acid transport, specifically elevated FFA-albumin molar ratios (>2).
  • Conditions like severe lipid mobilization or low albumin levels (e.g., nephrotic syndrome) could precipitate such risks.

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