Thromb Haemost 2010; 104(01): 136-142
DOI: 10.1160/TH09-08-0582
Cardiovascular Biology and Cell Signalling
Schattauer GmbH

Anticoagulant therapy in critical organ ischaemia/reperfusion injury

Sarah T. B. G. Loubele
1   Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry, Laboratory for Clinical Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands
,
Hugo ten Cate
1   Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry, Laboratory for Clinical Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands
,
Henri M. H. Spronk
1   Departments of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry, Laboratory for Clinical Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Center, The Netherlands
› Author Affiliations
Financial support: Sarah T. B. G. Loubele is financially supported by the Netherlands Heart Foundation (Grant no. 2003-B065) and by Thrombosestichting Nederland.
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 20 August 2009

Accepted after major revision: 18 February 2010

Publication Date:
23 November 2017 (online)

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Summary

Ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is central to a number of pathologies including myocardial infarction and stroke. Several cellular processes are involved in the progress of I/R injury, involving complex interactions between coagulation and inflammatory or apoptotic processes. Besides for their anti-coagulant function, anticoagulant proteins such as activated protein C (APC), active site inhibited factor VIIa (ASIS), tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI), and antithrombin (AT) are also known for their anti-inflammatory or cell protective effects. This review gives an overview of the application of these anti-coagulants in several animal models of I/R injury in critical organs and describes the effects of these proteins on cellular processes including inflammation and apoptosis. The future testing of mutant forms of some of these inhibitors including APC in a clinical setting should be actively explored.