Antithrombotic activity and bleeding complication of a new potent, selective, and direct thrombin inhibitor, LB30870, were evaluated in comparison with other anticoagulants. In order to improve oral absorption of LB30870, pharmacokinetics of LB30889, which is a double prodrug with blocking groups in both amidine and carboxyl groups, was studied in rats and dogs. LB30870 was more potent than melagatran or argatroban with thrombin inhibition constants of 0.02, 1.3 and 4.5 nM, respectively. All three direct thrombin inhibitors were selective towards other serine proteases with selectivity ratio greater than 1000, except for trypsin. Thrombin binding kinetics of LB30870 showed rapid association and slow dissociation rate constants, demonstrating its potential as anticoagulant. LB30870 was more effective than melagatran or argatroban in plasma clot-bound thrombin inhibition. In the rat venous stasis model of the caval vein, LB30870 reduced wet clot weights in a dose dependent manner after the intravenous bolus with infusion administration. The ED50 of LB30870, melagatran and enoxaparin were 50 μg/kg+2 μg/kg/min, 35 μg/kg+1.4 μg/kg/min and 200 μg/kg+8.3 μg/kg/min, respectively. No significant bleeding problem was observed with LB30870 at the dose up to two times ED80 in rats. LB30889, a double prodrug of LB30870, showed species difference in pharmacokinetics. Its oral bioavailability in rats or dogs was not better than that of LB30870. In conclusion, LB30870 has the potential to be useful as an effective oral anticoagulant for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic diseases.
Keywords: Anticoagulant; Pharmacodynamics; Pharmacokinetics; Prodrug; Thrombin inhibitor.
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