Mechanism of thrombin inhibition by heparin cofactor II in the presence of dermatan sulphates, native or oversulphated, and a heparin-like dextran derivative

The kinetics of thrombin inhibition by heparin cofactor II (HC II) in the presence of dermatan sulphates, native (DS), or oversulphated (DSS 1 and DSS 2) and a biospecific dextran derivative substituted with carboxymethyl, carboxymethyl-benzylamide and carboxymethyl benzylamide-sulphonate functional groups (CMDBS), has been studied as a function of the sulphated polysaccharide concentration. The initial HC II and thrombin concentrations were set at equimolar levels. Analysis of the experimental data obtained for DS, DSS1 and DSS2 was performed using a previously described model which allows computation of the dissociation constant (K-PS,K-HC) of the polysaccharide-HC II complex and the rate constant of thrombin inhibition by the polysaccharide-HC II complex (k). A K-PS,K-HC of 9.6 x 10(-7) M and a k of 4.5 x 10(9) M(-1) min(-1) were found for DS, whereas K-PS,K-HC 2.1 x 10(-6) M, k 1.1 x 10(10) M(-1) min(-1) and K-PS,K-HC 4.3 x 10(-7) M, k 1.4 x 10(10) M(-1) min(-1) were found for DSS1 and DSS2, respectively. Knowing that DSS1 has a sulphur content per disaccharide of 7.8%, compared with 11.5% for DSS2, these results indicate that the polysaccharide affinity for HC II is increased only in the case of DSS 2, whereas the oversulphation increases the reactivities towards thrombin of both complexes DSS1-HC II and DSS2-HC II. A better conformation of these complexes may favour a faster interaction with the protease. Unlike heparin, DS at concentrations higher than 10(-5) M does not modify the reaction rate of thrombin inhibition, a fact which can be explained by the absence of complex formation between DS and thrombin. The experimental data obtained for CMDBS fit a kinetic model in which the biospecific dextran derivative rapidly forms a complex with thrombin which is more reactive towards HC II than the free protease. The reaction rate remained unchanged for CMDBS concentrations equal to or higher than 10(-5) M, whereas CMDBS was found to interfere strongly with the fibrinogen-thrombin interaction. These data suggest that CMDBS has a strong affinity for the protease and no affinity for HC II. The computed dissociation constant of the CMDBS-thrombin complex (K-PS,K-E) was 2.4 x 10(-7) and the rate constant of the reaction of this complex with HC II (k) was 1.7 x 10(8) M min(-1). These findings indicate that CMDBS exerts its catalytic effect through a unique mechanism of action and may constitute a new class of anticoagulant drugs. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved.