Heparin-like polysaccharides

Figure 48-9. Structure of heparin. The polymer section illustrates structural features typical of heparin however, the sequence of variously substituted repeating disaccharide units has been arbitrarily selected. In addition, non-O-sulfated or 3-0-sulfated glucosamine residues may also occur. (Modified, redrawn, and reproduced, with permission, from Lindahl U et al Structure and biosynthesis of heparin-like polysaccharides. Fed Proc 1977 36 19.)...

Extracts of Flavobacterium heparinum that had been induced to grow on heparin-like polysaccharides contain a number of enzymes that may ultimately degrade heparin and heparan sulfate to monosaccharides.137,145 240 The enzymes that cause the primary cleavage of heparinlike chains are heparinase (EC 4.2.2.7) and heparanase (EC 4.2.2.8, formerly called heparitinase241,242). 

Marcum JA, Rosetibeig RD Role of endothelial cell surface heparin-like polysaccharides. In Heparin and related polysaccharides. Structure and activities Eds. Ofosu FA, Dani efsky I, Hirsh J. TheNew York Academy of Sciences, NY 1989, pp. 81-94... 

While this approach afforded gram quantities of a heparin-like polysaccharide with anticoagulant activity, unnatural saccharide units, such as 3-0-sulfo-D-glucuronic acid, were present in their product, suggesting a limitation in the selectivity of chemical sulfonation/desulfonation in HS synthesis. 

Powder. Heparin-like polysaccharide containing up to three sulfate groups per glucose molecule with a molecular weight range of 4000-500,000 Da. 

Section II is devoted exclusively to polysaccharide systems, but includes a fairly broad variety of polymers and applications. Kennedy et al. describe some industrially important polysaccharides, while Morris covers various bacterial-derived polysaccharides used in the food and agricultural industries. Carraher et al. describe some tin modified dextrans in the third Chapter of this Section. Some acidic, heparin-like, polysaccharides are described in the following Chapter (Linhardt, et al.) then Kobayashi reveals some cellulose derivatives which form liposomes and membranes. The final three papers of this Section deal with chitin and chitosan systems. Alkaline chitosan gels are presented by Hirano et al. Kikuchi and Kubota then describe some polyelectrolytes derived from chitosan derivatives. Finally, Seo and lijima consider the sorption behavior of chitosan gels. 

The identification of the mast cells recognizes local accumulations of highly concentrated heparin the chemical extraction requires large amounts of tissue. While a correlation between mast cell count and heparin content of tissues has not been established , the relationship between these two seems to be sufficiently close to indicate that all heparin is associated with mast cells. This does not prove that in ordinary tissue the mast cells contain the heparin and none is from the surrounding connective tissue matrix. Normal mouse and rat mast cells contain heparin and no other polysaccharides " , but solid mast cell tumours of mice also contain chondroitin sulphate-like polysaccharides, as an ascites subline of the Furth tumour and dog mastocytomas gave nonsulphated polysaccharide material. 

It is well established that sulfated polysaccharides play important biological roles (55-63). Cellulose sulfate displays heparin-like activity and to a lesser... 

H. Baumann, Recent Developments with Regioselective Variation of Heparin Like Functional Groups in Three Polysaccharides Containing Aminosugars and Their Biological Potential , p. 163... 

Polymers that are structurally related to heparin and that possess certain of its biological properties, such as anticoagulant activity, are commonly called heparinoids. Non-heparin glycosaminoglycans having anti-coagulant/antithrombotic activities are sometimes classified as heparinoids. Heparinoids are also prepared by modification of naturally occurring polysaccharides, by the total synthesis of heparin-like polymers, and most recently by the synthesis of small sulfated heparin-like oligomers. 

In 1969, I became Visiting Professor at the Chemistry Department of Salford University. This was at the invitation of Glyn Phillips, a great Welsh patriot who had recently moved from Cardiff to Salford to head the Chemistry Department. We collaborated for many years on projects related to radiation damage of polysaccharides, like heparin, hyaluronan and other polysaccharides. I had been interested in this subject since 1948 when I discovered the... 

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