Bovine thrombin (F2)

Bovine thrombin is a serine protease derived from bovine plasma that plays a central role in the blood coagulation cascade by converting soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin (UniProt P00735). It also facilitates platelet activation and the feedback activation of coagulation factors V, VIII, and XI, thereby accelerating clot formation (StatPearls, "Thrombin"). Clinically, bovine thrombin is utilized as a topical hemostatic agent to manage minor bleeding during surgical procedures when conventional methods are inadequate (FDA, Thrombin-JMI Label). However, its clinical application is associated with significant safety risks, primarily the induction of antibodies that may cross-react with human coagulation factor V, leading to acquired factor V deficiency and severe hemorrhage (PubMed, PMID: 11560877). As a therapeutic target, it is inhibited by direct thrombin inhibitors such as dabigatran and argatroban, as well as indirect inhibitors like heparin (PubChem). Due to the risk of immunogenicity and potential for viral transmission, recombinant human thrombin has largely superseded bovine-derived products in many modern surgical settings (NIH, "Topical Hemostatic Agents").

Other names

Coagulation factor IIaThrombinActivated factor IIBovine coagulation factor IIaFibrinogenaseFactor IIa

Proteolytic cleavage of fibrinogen to fibrin and activation of factors V, VIII, XI, and XIII