The pathogenicity and intractable nature of the microorganism Staphylococcus aureus (SA) has been long documented and highlighted by many health care agencies, with emphasis on its ability to exploit the human coagulation system to deadly effect. Two drugs from a class of inhibitors known as Direct Thrombin Inhibitors (DTI) have been shown to have a substantial effect on the enzyme secreted by SA known as Staphylocoagulase (SC), but up until now the application of this potential treatment has been limited. This paper strives to supply an overview of these clinical studies and propose a novel protocol for testing DTI's on SA in an in vitro setting. Three DTIs have been identified, including two already tested in clinical trials, and computational molecular docking simulations have been applied to elucidate the mechanisms of action for the inhibition. An additional DTI has been developed using these mechanisms as principles and shows promise for future development. After conducting this preliminary protocol, it has been found that running a minimum inhibitory concentration test across several tubes with varying degrees of these DTIs demonstrated varying levels of coagulation consistent with the findings of clinical research papers. It is fair to conclude, then, that after development or discovery of new coagulase inhibitors, they can be quickly and accurately tested against existent DTIs to gauge their efficacy.

Anticoagulants, also known as antithrombotics, are among the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. Understanding how these medications work, the propensity for interactions with other drugs, dietary factors, and disease states is important for clinicians assessing and providing care to patients in all environments. In this review, we seek to provide essential information for the home health care provider for evaluating patients receiving anticoagulants commonly prescribed in the home health care setting. The low-molecular-weight heparins and vitamin K antagonists are the most commonly used agents for outpatient anticoagulation. New agents, such as the direct factor Xa inhibitors and direct thrombin inhibitors have recently been approved with additional new agents in the approval process and development pipeline. We seek to review the most pertinent information for each of these classes of medications providing information on pharmacology, interactions with other drugs, diet, and diseases and important clinical information.

Les pentasaccharides sont des inhibiteurs indirects du facteur Xa ayant des profils pharmacocinétiques très prédictibles. En raison de la liaison de forte affinité des pentasaccharides à l'antithrombine, cette pharmacocinétique peut être prédite mais aussi transférée à d'autres molécules qui leur sont liées de manière covalente. L'EP42675 combine dans une seule molécule, une antithrombine directe réversible peptidomimétique (analogue de l'α-NAPAP), et un pentasaccharide inhibiteur indirect du facteur Xa antithrombine dépendant (analogue du fondaparinux). L'EP217609 est le dérivé biotinylé de l'EP42675. Son action anticoagulante peut être neutralisée par l'avidine qui se lie avec une grande affinité et spécificité à la fraction biotine de l'EP217609. La première indication cible de l'EP217609 et de son antidote l'avidine est la chirurgie cardiaque nécessitant une circulation extracorporelle. La deuxième indication cible est le traitement des syndromes coronariens aigus nécessitant ou non une intervention coronarienne percutanée. Les études précliniques et cliniques de phase I et phase IIa résumées ici démontrent l'intérêt d'un tel concept de couplage avec un pentasaccharide : absence de dissociation entre les deux entités, faible variabilité intra et interindividuelle des paramètres pharmacocinétiques et pharmacodynamiques, et une neutralisation de l'activité anticoagulante de l'EP21609 quasi complète et sans effet rebond. / Pentasaccharides are indirect inhibitors of factor Xa with highly predictable pharmacokinetic profiles. Because of the high affinity binding of pentasaccharides to antithrombin, this pharmacokinetics can be predicted but also transferred to other molecules covalently bound to them. EP42675 combines in a single molecule, a reversible direct antithrombin (α-NAPAP peptidomimetic analog), and a pentasaccharide similar to fondaparinux with an indirect anti-factor Xa activity. EP217609 is the biotinylated derivative of EP42675 whose anticoagulant activity can be neutralized by avidin which binds with high affinity and specificity to the biotin moiety of EP217609.The first target indication of EP217609 and its antidote avidin is cardiac surgery requiring extracorporeal circulation. The second target indication is the treatment of acute coronary syndromes requiring or not a percutaneous coronary intervention.The preclinical and clinical Phase I and IIa studies summarized here demonstrate the value of such a coupling concept to the pentasaccharide: absence of dissociation between the two entities, low intra- and interindividual variability of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters, and an almost complete neutralization of the EP217609 anticoagulant activity with no rebound effect.