Anticoagulant properties of three sulfated compounds prepared from xylans isolated from corn cobs, larchwood and oatspelts were compared with heparin and sodium pentosan polysulfate (SP-54) by studying their effects on activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT) and thrombin time (TT) using pooled normal human plasma. These compounds were more effective than SP-54 in delaying coagulation by all the three procedures while oatspelts xylan sulfate was as effective as heparin in inhibiting APTT and PT and more effective than heparin in inhibiting TT on a molar basis. The sulfated xylans were more effective than heparin or SP-54 in potentiating the AT-III inhibition of amidolysis of H-D-Phe-Pip-Arg-pNa (S-2238) by thrombin (IIa) or amidolysis of Bz-Ile-Glu-Gly-Arg-pNa (S-2222) by Xa. Study of the high affinity binding of the xylan sulfates to AT-III-Sepharose column showed that the amount of the xylan sulfate recovered in the eluates from this peak was greatly increased with an increase in molecular weight (MW). A buffered mixture of IIa, AT-III and dansylarginine N-(3-ethyl-1,5-pentanediyl) amide (DAPA) was used to study the inactivation of IIa by AT-III. Larchwood xylan sulfate (2-10 micrograms) was found to accelerate this inactivation which was neutralized by human platelet factor 4 (PF4). The results also suggested an interaction between larchwood xylan sulfate and IIa which may potentiate an interaction between AT-III and IIa.