Antithrombotic and thrombolytic activity of sulodexide in rats.
We evaluated the ability of sulodexide, an extracted glycosaminoglycan, to prevent thrombus formation and to reduce a stabilized thrombus in a rat venous thrombosis model (vena cava ligature). Injection of sulodexide 10 min before induction of venous stasis, prevented thrombus formation in a dose-dependent manner (median effective dose 0.55 mg/kg). When given to rats with 6-h-old thrombi, sulodexide caused a marked reduction in thrombus size which reached 70% after 2 h with the highest dose tested (2 mg/kg). The effect of sulodexide on established thrombi appears to be due, at least in part, to a fibrinolysis-mediated mechanism, since it was significantly inhibited by epsilon-aminocaproic acid, a well-known antifibrinolytic drug. Treatment with sulodexide did not noticeably affect plasma levels of plasminogen activator and its specific inhibitor. We also showed that fluorescein-labelled sulodexide, when given to animals with 6-h-old thrombi, was present within the thrombi harvested 2 h later, but was then absent from blood. The fluorescence was mainly located in areas filled with amorphous material, that was identified as fibrin by staining with phosphotungstic acid-hematoxylin. No fluorescein-labelled material could be detected in rats treated with fluorescein alone. These findings indicate that, besides preventing venous thrombus formation, sulodexide is able to promote thrombus dissolution by a mechanism that is partly related to local fibrinolysis stimulation.
Barbanti
M
M
Research Department, Alfa Wassermann S.p.A., Bologna, Italy.
Guizzardi
S
S
Calanni
F
F
Marchi
E
E
Babbini
M
M
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013924:Thrombophlebitis / Q000188:drug therapy*
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; C007858:glucuronyl glucosamine glycan sulfate