Unfractionnated heparin (UFH), low molecular weight heparins (LMWH), and fondaparinux are used therapeutically as anticoagulants. They potentiate antithrombin (AT): a physiological inhibitor of coagulation. Their therapeutic use is associated with a major risk of bleeding. Currently, protamine sulfate is the only antidote available for UFH. It is partially effective for LMWH, and has no effect against fondaparinux, which has no antidote. So, we propose modified inactive AT, but able to bind heparin molecules as antidote of these heparins. These molecules would compete with plasmatic AT for binding to heparins, and neutralize their anticoagulant effect. To produce that AT, we realized a genetic approach and a chemical approach. In the first approach, we expressed the variant AT-N135Q-Pro394 that had an anti-Xa or anti-IIa activity below 0.02% in the presence of heparins, and heparin affinity three times higher, compared to the plasmatic AT. In the chemical approach, we modified the plasmatic AT by 2,3-butanedione (AT-BD), a chemical reagent for arginin’s characterization. The AT-BD had a moderate loss of anticoagulant activity, and a heparin affinity 20 times higher, compared to the plasmatic AT. Despite these differences in biochemical properties, these two modified AT neutralize similarly heparins in vitro and in a mouse model. Moreover, unlike protamine sulfate, our antidotes had not an intrinsic anticoagulant effect in activated partial thromboplastin test. Thus, this PhD-work offers the first and the only specific antidote described to fondaparinux, and it can be used too alternatively for all anticoagulant heparins.
