top of page
The Sound of Evolution
Protamine sulfate
Mechanism of action:
Protamine sulfate is a polypeptide antagonist of anticoagulants. Protamine is a highly positively charged basic polypeptide rich in arginine, whereas heparin is a highly negatively charged molecule. Therefore, protamine binds to heparin through electrostatic interactions and forms a biologically inactive protamine-heparin complex, thereby inhibiting the anticoagulant effect of heparin.
Reference(s):
1. Sokolowska E et al. (2016). The toxicology of heparin reversal with protamine: past, present and future. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol.
2. Bromfield SM et al. (2013). Heparin sensing and binding - taking supramolecular chemistry towards clinical applications. Chem Soc Rev.
bottom of page