Antithrombotic Properties of DU-176b, a Novel, Potent and Orally Active Direct Factor Xa Inhibitor in Rat Models of Arterial and Venous Thrombosis: Comparison with Fondaparinux, an Antithrombin Dependent Factor Xa Inhibitor.

Factor Xa (FXa) is an attractive target for the treatment of thrombosis due to its crucial role in the blood coagulation cascade. Fondaparinux, a selective FXa inhibitor, has been approved for clinical use to prevent deep vein thrombosis after orthopedic surgery; however, it requires antithrombin (AT) to exert its antithrombotic effect. It is reported that AT dependent anticoagulants such as heparin are less effective to suppress platelet-rich arterial-type thrombus due to its inaccessibility to thrombus-bound FXa/thrombin. We have developed a potent direct (i.e. AT independent) FXa inhibitor, DU-176b. The objective of this study is to compare the antithrombotic properties of a direct selective FXa inhibitor, DU-176b, with an AT dependent selective FXa inhibitor, fondaparinux. We evaluated the antithrombotic effects of DU-176b and fondaparinux in rat models of arterial and venous thrombosis. The arterial and venous thrombosis was induced by topical application of ferric chloride to the carotid artery and by insertion of a platinum wire into the inferior vena cava, respectively. DU-176b (0.05 – 1.25 mg/kg/h) and fondaparinux (1 – 10 mg/kg/h for arterial thrombosis and 0.03 – 1 mg/kg/h for venous thrombosis) were intravenously administered as continuous infusions. DU-176b prevented both arterial and venous thrombosis in the same dose range. In contrast, the effective doses of fondaparinux markedly differed between these models. A higher dose of fondaparinux more than 100 times was required to inhibit arterial thrombosis compared with venous thrombosis. These results suggest that direct inhibition of FXa is a preferable strategy to AT dependent inhibition for the prevention of thrombus formation in the arteries.