The role of surface charge on the accelerating action of heparin on the antithrombin III-inhibited activity of alpha-thrombin.

We have compared surface charge and the surface charge density on the polyanions heparin and potassium polyvinyl sulfate (KPVS), as well as on hydrolyzed heparin and KPVS, with their accelerating effect on the inhibitory action of antithrombin III on thrombin. Polyelectrolyte titration of thrombin with KPVS or heparin at pH 7.4 clearly indicates an electrostatic interaction. In contrast, at the same pH no electrostatic interaction is observed between polyanions and antithrombin III. KPVS accelerates the inhibitory action of antithrombin III to the same extent as heparin on the basis of charge equivalence. Heparin and KPVS with a mean distance between two charged centers of less than 0.75 and 0.95 nm, respectively, accelerate strongly whereas hydrolysates with lower charge densities are far less active. The following observations are indicated. Intramolecular neutralization of oppositely charged residues occurs within thrombin, antithrombin III, and partially hydrolyzed heparin. Heparin acts on the antithrombin III-thrombin reaction through cooperative electrostatic binding to thrombin and nonelectrostatic interaction with antithrombin III. This indicates a quasi-catalytic action of the polyelectrolyte. Hydrolysis of only a few N-sulfate residues within the heparin molecule decreases the linear surface charge density to such an extent that the accelerating action is drastically reduced. The loss of accelerating capacity agrees with the sudden loss of counterion condensation due to the decrease of the linear surface charge density beyond limits postulated by Manning in a theory of polyelectrolytes.