Venous thrombosis can be the source of emboli, a significant health risk encountered throughout surgical and medical clinics.
Taurolidine is an
antimicrobial agent used to prevent intraabdominal adhesion formation and
sepsis in experimental and clinical trials. The aim of this study is to evaluate effect of
taurolidine on experimental
thrombus formation and make a comparison with
low-molecular weight heparin. Four groups of ten Wistar-Albino rats (300-350 g) were used; with the first and second groups each being administered 10 and 20 mg of
taurolidine, the third group
low-molecular weight heparin and the fourth group
saline solution (control group) respectively. Experimental
thrombus formation was performed in rats in the area of the abdominal inferior vena cava by using a combination of stasis and
hypercoagulability described by Wessler et al. [Wessler, S., Reimer, S.M., Sheps, M.C., 1959.
Biologic assay of a
thrombosis inducing activity in human serum. J. Appl. Physiol. 14:943-946.]. Thrombocyte count, the weight of
thrombus, prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time and activities of
coagulation factors were measured and compared across groups.
Thrombus weights in the
taurolidine treated groups were lower than the control group and greater than the
low-molecular weight heparin treated group.
Taurolidine was found to decrease activities of
coagulation factors V, VIII, IX, XI and XII.
Taurolidine showed no effect on activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time values; however, it decreased
thrombus weight, but not as much as
low-molecular weight heparin. The cause of these findings in our study may be related to the minimized effect of
taurolidine on
factor II, VII, and X activities. These effects likely render the agent ineffective in the prevention of
venous thrombosis.
Taurolidine was found to be less effective than
low-molecular weight heparin in prevention of
thrombus formation.