Vitamin K antagonist

Overview
Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) are a class of anticoagulants which, as their name indicates, act by inhibiting the action of vitamin K.

They can be teratogens.

Coumarins
Coumarins are the most commonly used VKA, and sometimes the terms are used synonymously.

In medicine, the most commonly used VKA is warfarin. The primary mechanism of warfarin is the inhibition of vitamin K epoxide reductase.

VKAs are also used as rodenticides.

Other VKAs
Not all VKAs are coumarins. For example, fluindione is a VKA, but not a coumarin.

Another example is phenindione.

Many of the non-coumarin VKAs are 1,3-indandione derivatives.

Related chapters

 * Vitamin K deficiency