Effect of low and high dose melagatran and other antithrombotic drugs on platelet aggregation.

Background: Thrombin-induced aggregation of human platelets can be completely inhibited by melagatran, the bioactive form of ximelagatran, an oral direct thrombin inhibitor.

Methods: The potential of melagatran to differentially inhibit alpha- and gamma-thrombins was tested with a synthetic thrombin substrate. Washed human platelets were also employed to determine if melagatran differentially inhibited alpha- and gamma-thrombin-induced platelet aggregation at distinct platelet thrombin receptors.