We developed a method which enables as to compute the course of prothrombinase activity in clotting plasma (H.C. Hemker, G.M. Willems, S. Béguin: Thromb. Haemostas. 56, 9-17, 1986) and used this for a study of the effect of pentosan polysulphate (PPS) on thrombin generation.When added to normal plasma in the concentration range of 0-8 μg/ml PPS induces a linear increase of the pseudo first order decay constant of endogenous thrombin like heparin does, 1 ug of PPS being equivalent to 0.045 Aig of heparin. Contrary to heparin this action is partly (∼ 65%) dependent upon AT III and partly (∼ 35%) upon heparin cofactor II.In normal plasma PPS causes an inhibition of both extrinsic and intrinsic prothrombinase formation. Only in the intrinsic system an increase of the lag time of prothrombinase appearance is observed. Unlike heparin, PPS does not inhibit factor IXa induced thrombin formation neither does it inhibit prothrombinase formation in the presence of preactivated factor VIII. The prolongation of the lag times must therefore be ascribed to inhibition by PPS of the activation of factor VIII.The inhibition of extrinsic prothrombinase formation by PPS increases with progressive dilution of thromboplastin and is not seen in haemophilia A or B plasma. This demonstrates the existance of a factor VIII and IX dependent process in extrinsic coagulation that gains in importance when the potency of factgr VII-tissue factor complex decreases, i.e. the Josso pathway.PPS, but also heparin causes an unexplained increase of prothrombinase action in haemophIIic plasma. The same phenomenon may be expected to exist in normal plasma, be it obscured by a concomitant inhibition. This, together with the incomplete inhibition of factor VIII activation by PPS makes that we cannot use this inhibitor as a means to quantitate the Josso pathway. The best estimate that we can obtain is that, in the presence of 2% thromboplastin, the factor IX dependent activation of factor X contributes more then 20% to prothrombinase generation.
THE DIAGNOSIS and MANAGEMENT OF FACTOR VIII and IX INHIBITORS: A GUIDELINE FROM THE UK HAEMOPHILIA CENTRE DOCTORS' ORGANIZATION (UKHCDO)
