Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is a glycosaminoglycan long known for its anticoagulant properties. In recent times, recent evidence has associated this drug with extra pleiotropic anticoagulant effects that have also proven useful in the management of the treatment of COVID-19 infection indicating that heparin may play other roles in the management of the disease in addition to the prevention of thrombosis. Clinical observations and in vitro studies support that heparin has a potential multi-target effect. To date, the molecular mechanisms of these pleiotropic effects are not fully understood. This brief review presents some of the evidence from clinical and animal studies and describes the potential molecular mechanisms by which heparin may exert its anti-inflammatory/immunoregulatory and antiviral effects.

低分子量肝素 (LMWH) 是一种糖胺聚糖，长期以来以其抗凝血特性而闻名。最近，最近的证据表明该药物具有额外的多效抗凝作用，这也被证明可用于治疗 COVID-19 感染，这表明肝素除了预防血栓形成。临床观察和体外研究支持肝素具有潜在的多靶点作用。迄今为止，这些多效效应的分子机制尚不完全清楚。这篇简短的综述介绍了一些来自临床和动物研究的证据，并描述了肝素可能发挥其抗炎/免疫调节和抗病毒作用的潜在分子机制。