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heparin
Pronunciation (hep′ă-rin)
- An anticoagulant principle that is a component of various tissues (especially liver and lung) and mast cells in humans and several mammalian species; its principal and active constituent is a glycosaminoglycan composed of d-glucuronic acid and d-glucosamine, both sulfated, in 1,4-α linkage, of molecular weight between 6,000 and 20,000. In conjunction with a serum protein cofactor (the so-called heparin cofactor), heparin acts as an antithrombin and an antiprothrombin. Synthetic preparations are commonly used in therapeutic anticoagulation. It also enhances activity of “clearing factors” (lipoprotein lipases).
Syn: heparinic acid
WebMD Medical Reference from "Stedman's Medical Dictionary"
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Stedman’s Medical Dictionary 28th Edition, Copyright© 2006_Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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