SULFATIDE PROLONGS BLOOD-COAGULATION TIME AND BLEEDING-TIME BY FORMING A COMPLEX WITH FIBRINOGEN

Sulfatides (galactosylceramide I-3-sulfate), which are found in serum lipoproteins of various mammals, effectively increased prothrombin tim e (anticoagulant effect) and also effectively prolonged bleeding time (anti-platelet effect). When equal volumes of a homogeneous micellar s olution of sulfatide and fibrinogen in phosphate-buffered saline were mixed, an insoluble complex precipitated. Analysis of the precipitated complex showed that the molar ratio of sulfatide to fibrinogen was ab out 400:1. These results indicate that the sulfatide micelle binds tig htly to fibrinogen and thereby interferes with both fibrin gel formati on (anticoagulant activity) and platelet function.