The key difference between procoagulant and anticoagulant is that procoagulant is a substance that is necessary for blood coagulation, while anticoagulant is a substance that prevents blood coagulation.
Blood coagulation plays a vital role during an injury or a cut of a blood vessel. It prevents the excessive loss of blood from the blood system before leading to shock or death. At the site of injury, blood coagulation process produces a blood clot using platelets and clotting factors. Therefore, a blood clot consists of a plug of platelets and a network of insoluble fibrin molecules. Fibrin is an insoluble, fibrous and non-globular protein which involves in the clotting of blood. It is the underlying fabric polymer of a blood clot. Procoagulants mediate blood coagulation while anticoagulants prevent blood coagulation. Haemostasis depends on the balance between procoagulants and anticoagulants.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Procoagulant
3. What is Anticoagulant
4. Similarities Between Procoagulant and Anticoagulant
5. Side by Side Comparison – Procoagulant vs Anticoagulant in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is a Procoagulant?
Procoagulant is a substance that is necessary for the coagulation of blood. In fact, procoagulants are precursors of various blood factors. Hence, they promote blood coagulation.
Figure 01: Procoagulant – Thrombin
Thrombin and factor Xa are two procoagulants. Thus, procoagulants are hemostatic agents. They have the ability to seal severe injuries very quickly, before leading to complications.
What is an Anticoagulant?
Anticoagulant, as its name indicates, is a substance that works against the coagulation process. In simple words, an anticoagulant is a substance that prevents blood coagulation. Thus, these substances stop the formation of blood clots. Anticoagulants are blood-thinning medicines prescribed by medical personal for patients that have a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks since unnecessary blood clots can block blood vessels and can stop the blood flow to vital organs such as brain, lungs and heart, etc.
Figure 02: Anticoagulant – Warfarin
Warfarin is the most commonly used anticoagulant medicine. Rivaroxaban, dabigatran, apixaban and edoxaban are newer types of anticoagulant medicines.
What are the Similarities Between Procoagulant and Anticoagulant?
- Procoagulant and anticoagulants are substances associated with blood coagulation.
- Their reactions play an important role in the regulation of thrombin formation during secondary hemostasis.
- Under normal physiological conditions, there is a delicate balance between procoagulant and anticoagulant reactions.
What is the Difference Between Procoagulant and Anticoagulant?
Procoagulant is a precursor that promotes blood coagulation. In contrast, an anticoagulant is a substance that prevents blood coagulation. So, this is the key difference between procoagulant and anticoagulant. Furthermore, procoagulants are medications that use to seal severe injuries before leading to complications while anticoagulants are blood-thinning medicines that prevent the formation of blood clots in patients that have a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks. Therefore, we can consider this too as a difference between procoagulant and anticoagulant.
Summary – Procoagulant vs Anticoagulant
Procoagulant and anticoagulants are two types of substances that work opposite to each other. Procoagulant promotes blood coagulation, while anticoagulant prevents blood coagulation. Therefore, this is the key difference between procoagulant and anticoagulant. Procoagulants are important when sealing severe injuries, while anticoagulants are important when stopping blood clot formation in patients that show a higher risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Reference:
1. “Anticoagulant medicines.” NHS Choices, NHS, Available here.
2. “Coagulation.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 July 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “thrombin” By Richard Grant (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Warfarin” By Calvero – Selfmade with ChemDraw (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia