Anticoagulants or blood thinners are something that researchers have been interested in for a long time. They want to confirm scenarios where they can reverse the effects of medication quickly. Anticoagulants could be used as fast-acting antidotes which might allow reversing their effects when there is a chance for severe bleeding.
A study published in Nature Biotechnology highlights the development of a specific anticoagulant with an immediate antidote. This supramolecular anticoagulant combines two drug fragments with the transient hybridization of peptide nucleic acid. The anticoagulant’s action can then be reversed by using a peptide nucleic acid antidote.
Researchers effectively demonstrated this process using mouse models. The researchers of the current study were able to test a concept of drug formation and reversal, specifically focusing their efforts on thrombin-inhibiting anticoagulants. Thrombin is an enzyme essential to the blood-clotting process in the body.
They created an anticoagulant with unique properties. The idea focuses on using two drug fragments that combine via transient hybridization of peptide nucleic acid and then act on two distinct sites.
Researchers explored several options for their drug fragment combination and selected one to use in their next testing phase. They were able to test the effectiveness of the anticoagulant.
One method they applied was using human and mouse plasma samples and measuring how long it took for clots to form. They also ran tests using mice to measure clotting times and to see what happened in the clotting process after mice experienced a needle injury.
Based on their tests, they found that the anticoagulant was effective. Now that they knew it worked, they had to test whether their antidote worked. Theoretically, the antidote would disrupt the supramolecular interaction that links the two drug fragments. They found the antidote was also effective and acted very quickly.
The research study discussed the creation of a blood thinner, made up of two molecules connected by another molecule in the middle. This middle molecule can be turned on and turned off at will using a type of antidote. When the antidote is injected, the middle molecule no longer works, and therefore the blood-thinning effect is quickly and efficiently reversed.
Since this research was conducted in male mice, future tests on humans is necessary for definitive answers. Researchers can also explore how the idea could apply to other drugs besides anticoagulants.
Regardless, the results could be beneficial if future research continues to confirm the findings.
Any anticoagulant with a specific and rapid-acting antidote could potentially be clinically useful in many scenarios where doctors currently use blood thinners, such as to prevent blood clots, and during surgery. The potential implications of the study include a change in the way certain drugs are created. Every high-risk drug may be able to have a potent reversal agent. This would allow doctors to prescribe these drugs to many more patients, knowing that a fast-acting reversal agent is available.
