Antithrombin (AT)

Antithrombin is also termed Antithrombin III (AT III). The designations Antithrombin I through to Antithrombin IV originate in early studies carried out in the 1950s by Seegers, Johnson and Fell.Antithrombin I (AT I) refers to the absorption of thrombin onto fibrin after thrombin has activated fibrinogen. Antithrombin II (AT II) refers to a cofactor in plasma, which together with heparin interferes with the interaction of thrombin and fibrinogen. Antithrombin III (AT III) refers to a substance in plasma which inactivates thrombin. Antithrombin IV (AT IV) refers to an antithrombin which becomes activated during and shortly after blood coagulation. Only AT III and possibly AT I are medically significant. AT III is generally referred to solely as "Antithrombin" and it is Antithrombin III that is discussed in this article.