DANAPAROID - AN ANTITHROMBOTIC AGENT WITHOUT MAJOR IMPACT ON TRIGLYCERIDE HYDROLYSIS CAPACITY IN HUMANS

Objectives. Heparin is a widely used antithrombotic drug. Besides its anticoagulant properties, it also has a marked influence on lipid meta bolism, by decreasing serum lipolytic activity due to lipase depletion from vascular sites and stores. Especially in haemodialysis patients who receive heparin during every dialysis session, and in hypertriglyc eridaemic patients, decreasing lipolytic activity can lead to the accu mulation of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, which are atherogenic. Rep lacement of heparin by an antithrombotic drug with less lipase releasi ng activity might reduce this risk. Design. We tested danaparoid, a ne w antithrombotic drug, and compared its ability to displace biotinylat ed heparan sulphate from lipoprotein lipase in vitro with heparin. Fur thermore we compared the in vivo lipase releasing activity. Results. D anaparoid displaced significantly less biotinylated heparan sulphate f rom triglyceride-rich lipoprotein-lipoprotein lipase complexes in vitr o than heparin. Intravenous injection of danaparoid released less than 20% (P < 0.05) of the lipolytic activity released by an equivalent an ticoagulant dose of heparin. Conclusion. Danaparoid is the drug of cho ice during the antithrombotic therapy of hypertriglyceridaemic or haem odialysis patients.