Pharmacology 5 Flashcards
What is haemostasis?
Arrest of blood loss from a damaged vessel at the site of injury
Initiation of haemostasis?
Vascular wall damage exposing collagen and tissue factor (TF - also known as thromboplastin)
Steps of primary haemostasis? (4)
- local vasoconstriction
- platelet adhesion
- activation and aggregation (by fibrinogen)
- activation of blood clotting (coagulation) and the formation of a stable clot (by fibrin enmeshing platelets)
What is TF also known as? What do platelets aggregate together form? What is the purpose of local vasoconstriction in haemostasis?
- Thromboplastin
- Soft plug to arrest blood loss
- Local constriction restricts blood loss
What do platelets bind to? (2)
What do activated platelets do? (2)
- Von Willebrand Factor and collagen
- Extend pseudopodia to aggregate
- Synthesise and release thromboxane A2 (TXA2)
What is the purpose of TXA2? (2)
- Binds to platelet GPCR TXA2 receptors (TP receptors) which causes mediator release – 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT – aka serotonin) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP)
- Act on vascular smooth muscle cell TXA2 receptors causing vasoconstriction (5-HT also does the same thing by binding to smooth muscle GPCR 5-HT receptors)
What mediators are released by TXA2 binding to TP receptors? (2)
- 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, Serotonin)
* Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)
What receptors do ADP bind to? What is the purpose of ADP by TXA2 binding to TP receptors? (3)
ADP binds to platelet GPCR purine receptors (P2Y12) that:
- act locally to activate further platelets
- aggregate platelets into a ‘soft plug’ at site of injury via increased expression of platelet glycoprotein (GP IIb/IIIa) receptors that bind fibrinogen
- expose acidic phospholipids on platelet surface that initiate coagulation of blood and solid clot formation
What does increased expression of GP receptors by ADP allow? What also increases expression of GP receptors?
- Allows plasma fibrinogen to bind to receptors to form physical bridge between the platelets as part of aggregation process
- Thomboxane A2
What is the key event in the coagulation cascade?
Production of the protease thrombin (factor IIa) that cleaves fibrinogen to fibrin to form a solid clot
Explain coagulation cascade (3)
- Inactive factor X converted to Xa by tenase (IXa, VIIIa)
- Inactive factor II converted to IIa by prothrombinase (Xa, Va)
- Fibrinogen converted into fibrin by thrombin to form solid clot
What coverts X to Xa? What is this? What converts II (prothrombin) to IIa (thombin)? What is this?
- Tenase - combination of IXa and VIIIa
* Prothrombinase - combination of Xa and Va
What is the purpose of thrombin? What are points of drug intervention to inhibit coagulation cascade?
- Thrombin converts fibrinogen into fibrin causing formation of solid clot
- Inhibit action of Xa or IIa (thrombin)
What is thrombosis? What are predisposing factors for thrombosis?
- Pathological haemostasis - innaproapriate activation of coagulation cascade
- Virchow’s triad - endothelial injury, turbulent flow, hypercoaguability of blood
What are features of an arterial thrombus? (2)
What are arterial thrombi treated with?
- WHITE thrombus - mainly platelets in fibrin mesh
- Forms embolus if it detaches from site of origin and often lodges in artery in the brain (stroke)
- Antiplatelet drugs
What are features of a venous thrombus? (2)
What are venous thrombi treated with?
- RED thrombus - white head, red tail, fibrin rich due to high % of erythrocytes
- Forms an embolus that usually lodges in the lung (PE)
- Anticoagulants
What is the site of action of Warfarin? Rivaroxiban? Heparin? Dabigatran?
What are these drugs classed as?
- Warfarin - blocks modification of factors X and II essential for their function
- Rivaroxiban - directly inhibits factor Xa
- Heparin - inactivates factor Xa and IIa via antithrombin III
- Dabigatran - directly inhibits factor IIa
Anticoagulant drugs
What are clotting factors II, VII, IX and X? How do they produce active factors?
- Glycoprotein precursors of the active factors IIa (thrombin), VIIa, IXa and Xa that act as SERINE PROTEASES
- Precursors are post-translationally modified (gamma-carboxylation of glutamate residues) to produce active factors