Biologically Active Substance
heparin Audio
hep·a·rin [ hep-uh-rin ]
Effect:
Decreased Coagulation Factor Activity
May Prevent:
Postoperative Complications; Pulmonary Embolism; Thromboembolism; Venous Thrombosis
May Treat:
Angina, Unstable; Cerebral Infarction; Coronary Thrombosis; Myocardial Infarction; Postoperative Complications; Pulmonary Embolism; Thromboembolism; Thrombophlebitis
Definitions related to heparin:
  • A drug that prevents blood from clotting.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • A highly acidic mucopolysaccharide formed of equal parts of sulfated D-glucosamine and D-glucuronic acid with sulfaminic bridges. The molecular weight ranges from six to twenty thousand. Heparin occurs in and is obtained from liver, lung, mast cells, etc., of vertebrates. Its function is unknown, but it is used to prevent blood clotting in vivo and vitro, in the form of many different salts.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • A substance that slows the formation of blood clots. Heparin is made by the liver, lungs, and other tissues in the body and can also made in the laboratory. Heparin may be injected into muscle or blood to prevent or break up blood clots. It is a type of anticoagulant.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • A sulfur-rich glycosaminoglycan with anticoagulant property. Heparin binds to antithrombin III to form a heparin-antithrombin III complex. The complex binds to and irreversibly inactivates thrombin and other activated clotting factors, such as factors IX, X, XI, and XII, thereby preventing the polymerization of fibrinogen to fibrin and the subsequent formation of clots.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Enzyme preparations are products that are used in the histopathology laboratory for the following purposes: (1) To disaggregate tissues and cells already in established cultures for preparation into subsequent cultures (e.g., trypsin); (2) To disaggregate fluid specimens for cytological examination (e.g., papain for gastric lavage or trypsin for sputum liquefaction); (3) To aid in the selective staining of tissue specimens (e.g., diastase for glycogen determination).
    Standard Product Nomenclature
    U.S Food & Drug Administration, 2003
  • Poly(glucosamine sulfate-glucuronic acid); endogenous mucopolysaccharide with antithrombin and lipotropic activities; USP injection is used as an anticoagulant.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Heparin, anticoagulant drug that is used to prevent blood clots from forming during and after surgery and to treat various heart, lung, and circulatory disorders in which there is an increased risk of blood clot formation. Discovered in 1922 by American physiologist William Henry Howell, heparin is...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.