Promising Novel Applications of Heparin / 中国药学杂志

ABSTRACT

Heparin has been used as first-line anticoagulant clinically for 80 years. Heparin mainly exerts its anticoagulant activity through interaction with ATIII. It has been found there are more than one hundred heparin-dependent functional proteins which demonstrates promising novel application beyond anticoagulant, such as anti-tumor, anti-malaria anti-inflammation, anti-viral, anti-malaria anti-anemia, etc. Heparin is also hopeful to be used as tool for drug delivery vehicle and functionalized implants material. In addition, heparin oligosaccharides are expected to be produced by chemical/enzymatic and bioengineering synthesis. Above mentioned new developments of heparin are covered in this review.