All About Warfarin | Mechanism of Action

The video tutorial discusses cardiopulmonary pharmacology, focusing on warfarin, a blood thinner used to reduce stroke risk. It explains the role of clotting factors and vitamin K in blood clotting, detailing the vitamin K cycle. Warfarin acts as a competitive inhibitor, preventing vitamin K from activating clotting factors, thus thinning the blood. Historically, warfarin was used as a rat poison before being adapted for human use.

What is warfarin and what is its primary use?

Explain the role of vitamin K in the activation of clotting factors.

Describe the process by which immature vitamin K is converted to its mature form.

How does warfarin act as a competitive inhibitor in the vitamin K cycle?

What are the consequences of not having functional forms of clotting factors?

What happens to clotting factors if there is a deficiency of vitamin K?

Discuss the historical use of warfarin before it was prescribed for humans.