Pharmacological activities of heparins obtained from different tissues: enrichment of heparin fractions with high lipoprotein lipase, antihemolytic and anticoagulant activities by molecular sieving and antithrombin III affinity chromatography.

The pharmacological activities of 14 heparins prepared from bovine and hog tissues and heparin fractions obtained by molecular sieving on sephacryl S-200 and antithrombin III affinity chromatography are reported. Two groups of heparins can be distinguished regarding the lipoprotein lipase releasing activity (LPL) and the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). Heparins prepared from liver, lung, pancreas and thymus have a ratio of LPL/APTT of 3.6, whereas heparins prepared from placenta and intestine show a ratio of only 2.1. The heparin APTT, LPL, antihemolytic, antifactor Xa and anticoagulant activities were partially resolved by fractionation on Sephacryl S-200 chromatography and antithrombin III affinity chromatography. These results suggest the presence of a mixture of heparins with different pharmacological activities in a commercial preparation.