title: Vascular calcification: the price to pay for anticoagulation therapy with vitamin K-antagonists.
abstract: Vitamin K-antagonists (VKA) are the most widely used anti-thrombotic drugs with substantial efficacy in reducing risk of arterial and venous thrombosis. Several lines of evidence indicate, however, that VKA inhibit not only post-translational activation of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors but also synthesis of functional extra-hepatic vitamin K-dependent proteins thereby eliciting undesired side-effects. Vascular calcification is one of the recently revealed side-effects of VKA. Vascular calcification is an actively regulated process involving vascular cells and a number of vitamin K-dependent proteins. Mechanistic understanding of vascular calcification is essential to improve VKA-based treatments of both thrombotic disorders and atherosclerosis. This review addresses vitamin K-cycle and vitamin K-dependent processes of vascular calcification that are affected by VKA. We conclude that there is a growing need for better understanding of the effects of anticoagulants on vascular calcification and atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, MUMC, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn L L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chatrou
authors.forename: Kristien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Winckers
authors.forename: Tilman M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Hackeng
authors.forename: Chris P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Reutelingsperger
authors.forename: Leon J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Schurgers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D061205:Vascular Calcification / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D014859:Warfarin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D014812:Vitamin K; D014859:Warfarin