The anticoagulant activity of dermatan sulphates: evidence against the involvement of antithrombin III.

Anticoagulant activity of dermatan sulphates is unaffected by antiserum specific for antithrombin III (AT III) unless the glycosaminoglycan preparation contains demonstrable heparin. 2 Only dermatan sulphate preparations of considerable heparin content potentiate AT III inhibition of thrombin, factor Xa and plasmin. 3 These data suggest that dermatan sulphates exert anticoagulant activity which, unlike that of heparin, is largely or totally independent of AT III.