Protamine Sulphate: An Antidote for Bleeding caused by Heparin
Protamine is also used in the context of dialysis, invasive vascular procedures, and acute ischemic strokes to reversethe anticoagulation effects of unfractionated heparin. Protamine sulfate is a fairly strong basic protein that bindswith the strongly acidic heparin to create a stable and inactive complex (salt) when given as an antidote to heparin.It is a highly cationic peptide that forms a stable ion pair without any anticoagulant properties when it binds toeither heparin or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). The positive cationic arginine peptide of protamine reactswith unfractionated heparin, a strongly anionic anticoagulant, to form a salt aggregate. The metabolism of theheparin-protamine salt aggregate is poorly understood