Current perspective on antithrombin drugs.

Thrombin is a multifunctional serine protease, which is involved in blood coagulation and thrombosis, inflammation and wound repair in tissue injury. Its role in the amelioration of inflammatory tissue injury has been investigated. Protease-activated cell surface receptors (PARs) when activated by thrombin result in the production of proinflammatory mediators. In the kidney, these PARs are expressed on the glomerular epithelium and the vascular endothelium. The significant impact of thrombin inhibition on the development of crescentic glomerular nephritis is discussed.