| Indication | For decreasing blood clotting. Often used along with heparin for treatment of deep vein thrombosis. |
| Pharmacodynamics | Dicumarol is an coumarin-like compound found in sweet clover. It is used as an oral anticoagulant and acts by inhibiting the hepatic synthesis of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors (prothrombin and factors VII, IX, and X). It is also used in biochemical experiments as an inhibitor of reductases. |
| Mechanism of action | Dicumarol inhibits vitamin K reductase, resulting in depletion of the reduced form of vitamin K (vitamin KH2). As vitamin K is a cofactor for the carboxylation of glutamate residues on the N-terminal regions of vitamin K-dependent proteins, this limits the gamma-carboxylation and subsequent activation of the vitamin K-dependent coagulant proteins. The synthesis of vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors II, VII, IX, and X and anticoagulant proteins C and S is inhibited. Depression of three of the four vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors (factors II, VII, and X) results in decresed prothrombin levels and a decrease in the amount of thrombin generated and bound to fibrin. This reduces the thrombogenicity of clots. |
| Absorption | Not Available |
| Volume of distribution | Not Available |
| Protein binding | Not Available |
| Metabolism | Not Available |
| Route of elimination | Not Available |
| Half life | Not Available |
| Clearance | Not Available |
| Toxicity | LD50=233 mg/kg (orally in mice); LD50=250 mg/kg (orally in rats) |
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