title: Antiplatelet Agents and Anticoagulants: From Pharmacology to Clinical Practice.
abstract: Thrombosis is the formation of potentially deadly blood clots in the artery (arterial thrombosis) or vein (venous thrombosis). Since thrombosis is one of the main causes of death worldwide, the development of antithrombotic agents is a global medical priority. They are subdivided into antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants. Antiplatelet agents inhibit clot formation by preventing platelet activation and aggregation, while anticoagulants primarily inhibit the coagulation cascade and fibrin formation. Therapeutics within each category differs with respect to the mechanism of action, time to onset, duration of effect and route of administration. In this review, we critically discuss their main pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics as well as recent advances in daily clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Atherothrombosis Research Centre / Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Tsoumani
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Alexandros D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Tselepis
mesh_terms: D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015539:Platelet Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
keywords: Anticoagulants; antidotes; antiplatelet agents; factor Xa; thrombin; thrombosis