Antiangiogenic forms of antithrombin specifically bind to the anticoagulant heparin sequence

A heparin-functionalized covered stent prepared by plasma technology

In this study, the surface of the covered stent was treated by plasma technology to introduce amino functional groups, and glutaraldehyde and heparin were successfully grafted to prepare a heparin-functionalized covered stent (HPLCS). The preparation parameters such as plasma treatment power, plasma treatment time, concentration of glutaraldehyde and heparin, and pH of heparin solution were studied in detail. The functionalized heparin covered stent can make the titer of heparin reach 1.23 ± 0.03 IU/cm². In animal experiments, after implantation in pigs for 6 months, the titer of heparin can still reach 0.93 ± 0.05 IU/cm². This work provides a good method for preparing heparin covered stent.

Anticoagulant and signaling functions of antithrombin

Antithrombin (AT) is a major plasma glycoprotein of the serpin superfamily that regulates the proteolytic activity of the procoagulant proteases of both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. Two important structural features that participate in the regulatory function of AT include a mobile reactive center loop that binds to active site of coagulation proteases, trapping them in the form of inactive covalent complexes, and a basic D-helix that binds to therapeutic heparins and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) on vascular endothelial cells. The binding of D-helix of AT by therapeutic heparins promotes the reactivity of the serpin with coagulation proteases by several orders of magnitude by both a conformational activation of the serpin and a template (bridging) mechanism. In addition to its essential anticoagulant function, AT elicits a potent anti-inflammatory signaling response when it binds to distinct vascular endothelial cell HSPGs, thereby inducing prostacyclin synthesis. Syndecans-4 has been found as a specific membrane-bound HSPG receptor on endothelial cells that relays the signaling effect of AT to the relevant second messenger molecules in the signal transduction pathways inside the cell. However, following cleavage by coagulation proteases and/or by spontaneous conversion to a latent form, AT loses both its anti-inflammatory activity and high-affinity interaction with heparin and HSPGs. Interestingly, these low-affinity heparin conformers of AT elicit potent proapoptotic and antiangiogenic activities by also binding to specific HSPGs by unknown mechanisms. This review article will summarize current knowledge about mechanisms through which different conformers of AT exert their serine protease inhibitory and intracellular signaling functions in these biological pathways.

Sources, Extraction and Biomedical Properties of Polysaccharides

In the recent era, bioactive compounds from plants have received great attention because of their vital health-related activities, such as antimicrobial activity, antioxidant activity, anticoagulant activity, anti-diabetic activity, UV protection, antiviral activity, hypoglycemia, etc. Previous studies have already shown that polysaccharides found in plants are not likely to be toxic. Based on these inspirational comments, most research focused on the isolation, identification, and bioactivities of polysaccharides. A large number of biologically active polysaccharides have been isolated with varying structural and biological activities. In this review, a comprehensive summary is provided of the recent developments in the physical and chemical properties as well as biological activities of polysaccharides from a number of important natural sources, such as wheat bran, orange peel, barely, fungi, algae, lichen, etc. This review also focused on biomedical applications of polysaccharides. The contents presented in this review will be useful as a reference for future research as well as for the extraction and application of these bioactive polysaccharides as a therapeutic agent.

Mass Spectrometry Reveals a Multifaceted Role of Glycosaminoglycan Chains in Factor Xa Inactivation by Antithrombin

Factor Xa (fXa) inhibition by antithrombin (AT) enabled by heparin or heparan sulfate is critical for controlling blood coagulation. AT activation by heparin has been investigated extensively, while interaction of heparin with trapped AT/fXa intermediates has received relatively little attention. We use native electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to study the role of heparin chains of varying length [hexa-, octa-, deca-, and eicosasaccharides (dp6, dp8, dp10, and dp20, respectively)] in AT/fXa complex assembly. Despite being critical promoters of AT/Xa binding, shorter heparin chains are excluded from the final products (trapped intermediates). However, replacement of short heparin segments with dp20 gives rise to a prominent ionic signal of ternary complexes. These species are also observed when the trapped intermediate is initially prepared in the presence of a short oligoheparin (dp6), followed by addition of a longer heparin chain (dp20), indicating that binding of heparin to AT/fXa complexes takes place after the inhibition event. The importance of the heparin chain length for its ability to associate with the trapped intermediate suggests that the binding likely occurs in a bidentate fashion (where two distinct segments of oligoheparin make contacts with the protein components, while the part of the chain separating these two segments is extended into solution to minimize electrostatic repulsion). This model is corroborated by both molecular dynamics simulations with an explicit solvent and ion mobility measurements in the gas phase. The observed post-inhibition binding of heparin to the trapped AT/fXa intermediates hints at the likely role played by heparan sulfate in their catabolism.

Heparin Binds Lamprey Angiotensinogen and Promotes Thrombin Inhibition through a Template Mechanism

Lamprey angiotensinogen (l-ANT) is a hormone carrier in the regulation of blood pressure, but it is also a heparin-dependent thrombin inhibitor in lamprey blood coagulation system. The detailed mechanisms on how angiotensin is carried by l-ANT and how heparin binds l-ANT and mediates thrombin inhibition are unclear. Here we have solved the crystal structure of cleaved l-ANT at 2.7 Å resolution and characterized its properties in heparin binding and protease inhibition. The structure reveals that l-ANT has a conserved serpin fold with a labile N-terminal angiotensin peptide and undergoes a typical stressed-to-relaxed conformational change when the reactive center loop is cleaved. Heparin binds l-ANT tightly with a dissociation constant of ∼10 nm involving ∼8 monosaccharides and ∼6 ionic interactions. The heparin binding site is located in an extensive positively charged surface area around helix D involving residues Lys-148, Lys-151, Arg-155, and Arg-380. Although l-ANT by itself is a poor thrombin inhibitor with a second order rate constant of 500 m^-1 s^-1, its interaction with thrombin is accelerated 90-fold by high molecular weight heparin following a bell-shaped dose-dependent curve. Short heparin chains of 6-20 monosaccharide units are insufficient to promote thrombin inhibition. Furthermore, an l-ANT mutant with the P1 Ile mutated to Arg inhibits thrombin nearly 1500-fold faster than the wild type, which is further accelerated by high molecular weight heparin. Taken together, these results suggest that heparin binds l-ANT at a conserved heparin binding site around helix D and promotes the interaction between l-ANT and thrombin through a template mechanism conserved in vertebrates.

Role of heparin and non heparin binding serpins in coagulation and angiogenesis: A complex interplay

Pro-coagulant, anti-coagulant and fibrinolytic pathways are responsible for maintaining hemostatic balance under physiological conditions. Any deviation from these pathways would result in hypercoagulability leading to life threatening diseases like myocardial infarction, stroke, portal vein thrombosis, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Angiogenesis is the process of sprouting of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones and plays a critical role in vascular repair, diabetic retinopathy, chronic inflammation and cancer progression. Serpins; a superfamily of protease inhibitors, play a key role in regulating both angiogenesis and coagulation. They are characterized by the presence of highly conserved secondary structure comprising of 3 β-sheets and 7-9 α-helices. Inhibitory role of serpins is modulated by binding to cofactors, specially heparin and heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) present on cell surfaces and extracellular matrix. Heparin and HSPGs are the mainstay of anti-coagulant therapy and also have therapeutic potential as anti-angiogenic inhibitors. Many of the heparin binding serpins that regulate coagulation cascade are also potent inhibitors of angiogenesis. Understanding the molecular mechanism of the switch between their specific anti-coagulant and anti-angiogenic role during inflammation, stress and regular hemostasis is important. In this review, we have tried to integrate the role of different serpins, their interaction with cofactors and their interplay in regulating coagulation and angiogenesis.

Coagulopathy and transfusion therapy in pediatric liver transplantation

Bleeding and coagulopathy are critical issues complicating pediatric liver transplantation and contributing to morbidity and mortality in the cirrhotic child. The complexity of coagulopathy in the pediatric patient is illustrated by the interaction between three basic models. The first model, "developmental hemostasis", demonstrates how a different balance between pro- and anticoagulation factors leads to a normal hemostatic capacity in the pediatric patient at various ages. The second, the "cell based model of coagulation", takes into account the interaction between plasma proteins and cells. In the last, the concept of "rebalanced coagulation" highlights how the reduction of both pro- and anticoagulation factors leads to a normal, although unstable, coagulation profile. This new concept has led to the development of novel techniques used to analyze the coagulation capacity of whole blood for all patients. For example, viscoelastic methodologies are increasingly used on adult patients to test hemostatic capacity and to guide transfusion protocols. However, results are often confounding or have limited impact on morbidity and mortality. Moreover, data from pediatric patients remain inadequate. In addition, several interventions have been proposed to limit blood loss during transplantation, including the use of antifibrinolytic drugs and surgical techniques, such as the piggyback and lowering the central venous pressure during the hepatic dissection phase. The rationale for the use of these interventions is quite solid and has led to their incorporation into clinical practice; yet few of them have been rigorously tested in adults, let alone in children. Finally, the postoperative period in pediatric cohorts of patients has been characterized by an enhanced risk of hepatic vessel thrombosis. Thrombosis in fact remains the primary cause of early graft failure and re-transplantation within the first 30 d following surgery, and it occurs despite prolongation of standard coagulation assays. Data, however, are currently lacking regarding the use of anti-aggregation/anticoagulation therapies and how to best monitor for thrombosis in the early postoperative period in pediatric patients. Therefore, further studies are necessary to elucidate the interaction between the development of the coagulation system and cirrhosis in children. Moreover, strategies to optimize blood transfusion and anticoagulation must be tested specifically in pediatric patients. In conclusion, data from the adult world can be translated with difficulty into the pediatric field as indication for transplantation, baseline pathologies and levels of pro- and anticoagulation factors are not comparable between the two populations.

Heparan sulfate 3-O-sulfation: a rare modification in search of a function

Many protein ligands bind to heparan sulfate, which results in their presentation, protection, oligomerization or conformational activation. Binding depends on the pattern of sulfation and arrangement of uronic acid epimers along the chains. Sulfation at the C3 position of glucosamine is a relatively rare, yet biologically significant modification, initially described as a key determinant for binding and activation of antithrombin and later for infection by type I herpes simplex virus. In mammals, a family of seven heparan sulfate 3-O-sulfotransferases installs sulfate groups at this position and constitutes the largest group of sulfotransferases involved in heparan sulfate formation. However, to date very few proteins or biological systems have been described that are influenced by 3-O-sulfation. This review describes our current understanding of the prevalence and structure of 3-O-sulfation sites, expression and substrate specificity of the 3-O-sulfotransferase family and the emerging roles of 3-O-sulfation in biology.

[Corneal neovascularization: epidemiological, physiopathological, and clinical features]

Corneal neovascularization is defined as the presence of vessels within the normally avascular corneal stroma. This physiopathological process is the consequence of local hyper-expression of pro-angiogenic factors in response to tissue damage. These new vessels (neovessels), initially immature and poorly developed, predispose the cornea to lipid exudation, inflammation, and scarring. Additionally, the influx of vascular cells into the stroma induces a loss of the cornea's immune privilege, resulting in a higher rate of graft rejection. In this literature review, we touch on epidemiological, physiopathological, and clinical aspects of corneal neovascularization, as well as secondary complications.

Three case reports of inherited antithrombin deficiency in China: double novel missense mutations, a nonsense mutation and a frameshift mutation

Antithrombin is a plasma protein critical to the regulation of coagulation. It plays a pivotal anticoagulant role by preventing the activation of procoagulant proteinases. Inherited and (or) acquired deficiency of AT is an established risk factor for venous thromboembolism. Sequencing analysis of SERPINC1 gene of three families revealed that Family I had double novel missense mutations (c.134G > A&c.342T > G), Family II had a nonsense mutation (c.770G > A) while Family III had a frameshift mutation (c.800-803del). In addition, all of them had a large number of carriers in their families what was very rare in China.

Age dependency of coagulation parameters during childhood and puberty

BACKGROUND

Use of age-adjusted reference values is crucial for correct diagnosis and management of thrombotic and hemorrhagic disease in children. They vary with utilized reagents and analyzers.

OBJECTIVES

We established reference values with the Sysmex CA-1500 System and in parallel with the Behring BCS System using reagents from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Products GmbH.

METHODS

After informed consent, blood samples were obtained from 218 healthy children and 52 healthy adults, grouped as 1-6 months (n = 29), 7-12 months (n = 25), 1-5 years (n = 57), 6-10 years (n = 57), 11-18 years (n = 50) and > 19 years (n = 52).

RESULTS

Most coagulation parameters demonstrate good comparability between analyzers with the exception of PT and APTT. Single coagulation factors fibrinogen, factor (F) II, FIX, FXI and XII were significantly decreased in the youngest children; the strongest age dependency was found for coagulation inhibitors Protein C and S, both significantly decreased in infancy and young childhood. We confirmed that high levels of von Willebrand factor are found in the youngest children without increased levels of FVIII followed by decreased von Willebrand levels in the subsequent age group. In children with blood group O a less distinct increase in time was found, compared with individuals with one of the other blood groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The correlation between the CA-1500 and the BCS system was remarkable. Differences were most pronounced between children < 12 months and older children and adults, confirming the phenomenon of developmental hemostasis. The rationale for age-related changes in the hemostatic system remains unraveled. Our results underline the need for age-specific reference ranges.

A clinical audit of antithrombin concentrate use in a tertiary paediatric centre

AIM

  The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical use of antithrombin concentrate (ATC) in children and specifically to determine the current practice of ATC administration, including dosing and indications for administration.

METHODS

  A clinical audit was performed of patients treated with ATC during two 12-month periods: 1 June 1999-1 June 2000 and 1 June 2009-1 June 2010.

RESULTS

  Thirty-seven patients whose age ranged from 1 day to 13.5 years (median 30 days) received a median of two doses (range 1-15) with a median dose of 40 units/kg (range 1-200 units). The majority (90%) of patients were located in the intensive care unit, and the major indication (76%) for use of the ATC was in the setting of unfractionated heparin (UFH) resistance. Post-ATC administration, 32% of the doses given resulted in antithrombin levels reaching age-specific normative levels. Of the patients administered ATC with the aim of optimising UFH therapy, 28% of patients had their UFH dose reduced without any measurement of UFH effect.

CONCLUSIONS

  This data provides the basis for future investigations of the specific biochemical changes accompanying ATC administration and the development of paediatric-specific evidence-based guidelines for ATC use.

Developmental haemostasis: secondary haemostasis

The haemostatic system is a complex interaction between the vasculature, cellular components and plasma proteins that interact to maintain haemostasis in the healthy body. The haemostatic system can be further defined as primary, secondary and tertiary haemostasis to better define the interdependent mechanisms that combine to maintain haemostasis. The term 'developmental haemostasis' was first introduced by Maureen Andrews in the 1980s to describe the age-related physiological changes of the coagulation system as it develops progressively over time from fetal, neonatal, paediatric to adult and geriatric systems. This paper will focus on developmental changes in secondary haemostasis, that is, the plasma protein changes that occur with age, particularly during the fetal and neonatal period, when the changes are most marked compared to the adult system.

Potential role of miRNAs in developmental haemostasis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of small non-coding RNAs that are negative regulators in a crescent number of physiological and pathological processes. However, their role in haemostasis, a complex physiological process involving multitude of effectors, is just beginning to be characterized. We evaluated the changes of expression of miRNAs in livers of neonates (day one after birth) and adult mice by microarray and qRT-PCR trying to identify miRNAs that potentially may also be involved in the control of the dramatic change of hepatic haemostatic protein levels associated with this transition. Twenty one out of 41 miRNAs overexpressed in neonate mice have hepatic haemostatic mRNA as potential targets. Six of them identified by two in silico algorithms potentially bind the 3′UTR regions of F7, F9, F12, FXIIIB, PLG and SERPINC1 mRNA. Interestingly, miR-18a and miR-19b, overexpressed 5.4 and 8.2-fold respectively in neonates, have antithrombin, a key anti-coagulant with strong anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory roles, as a potential target. The levels of these two miRNAs inversely correlated with antithrombin mRNA levels during development (miR-19b: R = 0.81; p = 0.03; miR-18a: R = 0.91; p<0.001). These data suggest that miRNAs could be potential modulators of the haemostatic system involved in developmental haemostasis.

Serpin-glycosaminoglycan interactions

Serpins (serine protease inhibitors) have traditionally been grouped together based on structural homology. They share common structural features of primary sequence, but not all serpins require binding to cofactors in order to achieve maximal protease inhibition. In order to obtain physiologically relevant rates of inhibition of target proteases, some serpins utilize the unbranched sulfated polysaccharide chains known as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) to enhance inhibition. These GAG-binding serpins include antithrombin (AT), heparin cofactor II (HCII), and protein C inhibitor (PCI). The GAGs heparin and heparan sulfate have been shown to bind AT, HCII, and PCI, while HCII is also able to utilize dermatan sulfate as a cofactor. Other serpins such as PAI-1, kallistatin, and α(1)-antitrypsin also interact with GAGs with different endpoints, some accelerating protease inhibition while others inhibit it. There are many serpins that bind or carry ligands that are unrelated to GAGs, which are described elsewhere in this work. For most GAG-binding serpins, binding of the GAG occurs in a conserved region of the serpin near or involving helix D, with the exception of PCI, which utilizes helix H. The binding of GAG to serpin can lead to a conformational change within the serpin, which can lead to increased or tighter binding to the protease, and can accelerate the rates of inhibition up to 10,000-fold compared to the unbound native serpin. In this chapter, we will discuss three major GAG-binding serpins with known physiological roles in modulating coagulation: AT (SERPINC1), HCII (SERPIND1), and PCI (SERPINA5). We will review methodologies implemented to study the structure of these serpins and those used to study their interactions with GAG's. We discuss novel techniques to examine the serpin-GAG interaction and finally we review the biological roles of these serpins by describing the mouse models used to study them.

Molecular mechanisms of antithrombin-heparin regulation of blood clotting proteinases. A paradigm for understanding proteinase regulation by serpin family protein proteinase inhibitors

Serpin family protein proteinase inhibitors regulate the activity of serine and cysteine proteinases by a novel conformational trapping mechanism that may itself be regulated by cofactors to provide a finely-tuned time and location-dependent control of proteinase activity. The serpin, antithrombin, together with its cofactors, heparin and heparan sulfate, perform a critical anticoagulant function by preventing the activation of blood clotting proteinases except when needed at the site of a vascular injury. Here, we review the detailed molecular understanding of this regulatory mechanism that has emerged from numerous X-ray crystal structures of antithrombin and its complexes with heparin and target proteinases together with mutagenesis and functional studies of heparin-antithrombin-proteinase interactions in solution. Like other serpins, antithrombin achieves specificity for its target blood clotting proteinases by presenting recognition determinants in an exposed reactive center loop as well as in exosites outside the loop. Antithrombin reactivity is repressed in the absence of its activator because of unfavorable interactions that diminish the favorable RCL and exosite interactions with proteinases. Binding of a specific heparin or heparan sulfate pentasaccharide to antithrombin induces allosteric activating changes that mitigate the unfavorable interactions and promote template bridging of the serpin and proteinase. Antithrombin has thus evolved a sophisticated means of regulating the activity of blood clotting proteinases in a time and location-dependent manner that exploits the multiple conformational states of the serpin and their differential stabilization by glycosaminoglycan cofactors.

Kinetic evidence that allosteric activation of antithrombin by heparin is mediated by two sequential conformational changes

The serpin, antithrombin, requires allosteric activation by a sequence-specific pentasaccharide unit of heparin or heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans to function as an anticoagulant regulator of blood clotting proteases. Surprisingly, X-ray structures have shown that the pentasaccharide produces similar induced-fit changes in the heparin binding site of native and latent antithrombin despite large differences in the heparin affinity and global conformation of these two forms. Here we present kinetic evidence for similar induced-fit mechanisms of pentasaccharide binding to native and latent antithrombins and kinetic simulations which together support a three-step mechanism of allosteric activation of native antithrombin involving two successive conformational changes. Equilibrium binding studies of pentasaccharide interactions with native and latent antithrombins and the salt dependence of these interactions suggest that each conformational change is associated with distinct spectroscopic changes and is driven by a progressively better fit of the pentasaccharide in the binding site. The observation that variant antithrombins that cannot undergo the second conformational change bind the pentasaccharide like latent antithrombin and are partially activated suggests that both conformational changes contribute to allosteric activation, in agreement with a recently proposed model of allosteric activation.

Conformational changes and ligand recognition of Escherichia coli D-xylose binding protein revealed

ATP binding cassette transport systems account for most import of necessary nutrients in bacteria. The periplasmic binding component (or an equivalent membrane-anchored protein) is critical to recognizing cognate ligand and directing it to the appropriate membrane permease. Here we report the X-ray structures of D-xylose binding protein from Escherichia coli in ligand-free open form, ligand-bound open form, and ligand-bound closed form at 2.15 Å, 2.2 Å, and 2.2 Å resolutions, respectively. The ligand-bound open form is the first such structure to be reported at high resolution; the combination of the three different forms from the same protein furthermore gives unprecedented details concerning the conformational changes involved in binding protein function. As is typical of the structural family, the protein has two similar globular domains, which are connected by a three-stranded hinge region. The open liganded structure shows that xylose binds first to the C-terminal domain, with only very small conformational changes resulting. After a 34° closing motion, additional interactions are formed with the N-terminal domain; changes in this domain are larger and serve to make the structure more ordered near the ligand. An analysis of the interactions suggests why xylose is the preferred ligand. Furthermore, a comparison with the most closely related proteins in the structural family shows that the conformational changes are distinct in each type of binding protein, which may have implications for how the individual proteins act in concert with their respective membrane permeases.

Glycosaminoglycans as polyelectrolytes

One of the barriers to understanding structure-property relations for glycosaminoglycans has been the lack of constructive interplay between the principles and methodologies of the life sciences (molecular biology, biochemistry and cell biology) and the physical sciences, particularly in the field of polyelectrolytes. To address this, we first review the similarities and differences between the physicochemical properties of GAGs and other statistical chain polyelectrolytes of both natural and abioitic origin. Since the biofunctionality and regulation of the structures of GAGs is intimately connected with interactions with their cognate proteins, we particularly compare and contrast aspects of protein binding, i.e. effects of both GAGs and other polyelectrolytes on protein stability, protein aggregation and phase behavior. The protein binding affinities and their dependences on pH and ionic strength for the two groups are discussed not only in terms of observable differences, but also with regard to contrasting descriptions of the bound state and the role of electrostatics. We conclude that early studies of the heparin-Antithromin system, proceeding to a large extent through the methods and models of protein chemistry and drug discovery, established not only many enabling precedents but also constraining paradigms. Current studies on heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate seem to reflect a more ecumenical view likely to be more compatible with concepts from physical and polymer chemistry.

Novel aspects of corneal angiogenic and lymphangiogenic privilege

In this article, we provide the results of experimental studies demonstrating that corneal avascularity is an active process involving the production of anti-angiogenic factors, which counterbalance the pro-angiogenic/lymphangiogenic factors that are upregulated during wound healing. We also summarize pertinent published reports regarding corneal neovascularization (NV), corneal lymphangiogenesis and corneal angiogenic/lymphangiogenic privilege. We outline the clinical causes of corneal NV, and discuss the angiogenic proteins (VEGF and bFGF) and angiogenesis regulatory proteins. We also describe the role of matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2, -7, and MT1-MMP, anti-angiogenic factors, and lymphangiogenic regulatory proteins during corneal wound healing. Established and potential new therapies for the treatment of corneal neovascularization are also discussed.

Hemostasis in neonates and children: pitfalls and dilemmas

Developmental Hemostasis refers to the age-related changes in the coagulation system that are most marked during neonatal life and childhood. An understanding of these changes is crucial to the accurate diagnosis of hemostatic abnormalities in neonates and children. This paper explains the current understanding of developmental hemostasis and describes the common pitfalls observed in clinical practice through failure to implement the principles into routine diagnostic work. Finally, there is a brief discussion as to a potential physiological rationale for developmental hemostasis and the implications of this for hemostatic interventions in neonates and children. There remains a need for further study to improve our understanding of the implications of developmental hemostasis in normal growth and development.

Interaction of antithrombin with sulfated, low molecular weight lignins: opportunities for potent, selective modulation of antithrombin function

Antithrombin, a major regulator of coagulation and angiogenesis, is known to interact with several natural sulfated polysaccharides. Previously, we prepared sulfated low molecular weight variants of natural lignins, called sulfated dehydrogenation polymers (DHPs) (Henry, B. L., Monien, B. H., Bock, P. E., and Desai, U. R. (2007) J. Biol. Chem. 282, 31891-31899), which have now been found to exhibit interesting antithrombin binding properties. Sulfated DHPs represent a library of diverse noncarbohydrate aromatic scaffolds that possess structures completely different from heparin and heparan sulfate. Fluorescence binding studies indicate that sulfated DHPs bind to antithrombin with micromolar affinity under physiological conditions. Salt dependence of binding affinity indicates that the antithrombin-sulfated DHP interaction involves a massive 80-87% non-ionic component to the free energy of binding. Competitive binding studies with heparin pentasaccharide, epicatechin sulfate, and full-length heparin indicate that sulfated DHPs bind to both the pentasaccharide-binding site and extended heparin-binding site of antithrombin. Affinity capillary electrophoresis resolves a limited number of peaks of antithrombin co-complexes suggesting preferential binding of selected DHP structures to the serpin. Computational genetic algorithm-based virtual screening study shows that only one sulfated DHP structure, out of the 11 present in a library of plausible sequences, bound in the heparin-binding site with a high calculated score supporting selectivity of recognition. Enzyme inhibition studies indicate that only one of the three sulfated DHPs studied is a potent inhibitor of free factor VIIa in the presence of antithrombin. Overall, the chemo-enzymatic origin and antithrombin binding properties of sulfated DHPs present novel opportunities for potent and selective modulation of the serpin function, especially for inhibiting the initiation phase of hemostasis.