Applications of high-performance liquid chromatography to the characterization of the interactions of heparin with antithrombin III and thrombin

A rapid method for differentiating active heparin from inactive components by high-performance liquid chromatography is described. Additionally, the procedure allows for the distinction of heparin fractions with different molecular weights. The methodologies were extended to investigations on the effects of heparin in the interaction between thrombin and antithrombin III. The product formed in the presence of heparin has a characteristic retention time that is ascribed to the binding of heparin to the protein-protein complex.