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Biomedical subjects

R J Linhardt

Publications and source records attributed to R J Linhardt.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Lectin affinity electrophoresis.

Lectin affinity electrophoresis is a powerful technique to investigate the interaction between a lectin and its ligand. Affinity electrophoresis results from the reduced mobility of a charged species owing to its interaction with an immobile species. In this protocol, a two-dimensional lectin affinity electrophoresis experiment is described that affords separation of oligosaccharides. The first-dimension is composed of a weak, polyacrylamide, capillary tube gel containing a lectin. The example described involves a mixture of fluorescently labeled disaccharides. The mobility of only the lectin-binding disaccharide is reduced affording a separation in the first-dimension. The tube gel is then extruded and placed onto the second-dimension gradient polyacrylamide gel and subjected to electrophoresis. Mobility in the second-dimension is dependent on molecular size and visualization si by fluorescence under transillumination. This method is also applicable, with appropriate modifications, for the separation and analysis of glycopeptides and glycoproteins.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Dermatan sulfate as a potential therapeutic agent.

1. Dermatan sulfate is a linear, sulfated polysaccharide and is a glycosaminoglycan component of several important proteoglycans. This minireview discusses the biosynthesis, structure and biological function of dermatan sulfate proteoglycans. 2. Dermatan sulfate and its derivatives are being investigated as a new class of anticoagulant and antithrombotic agents. 3. The preparation, chemistry and structure-activity relationship of dermatan sulfate is described. 4. Dermatan sulfate, low molecular weight dermatan sulfate and glycosaminoglycan mixtures containing dermatan sulfate have been used clinically. 5. The future prospects of these agents and other new, potentially useful dermatan sulfate based therapeutics are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Analysis of fluorescently labeled sugars by reversed-phase ion-pairing high-performance liquid chromatography.

Reducing sugars, including monosaccharides, disaccharides, and a trisaccharide, are derivatized by reductive amination with 7-amino-1,3-naphthalene disulfonic acid. Reversed-phase ion-pairing high-performance liquid chromatography is then used to separate these visibly fluorescent, charged conjugates. Isocratic elution with triethylamine-acetic acid from a phenyl column, a C18 column, and C18 and phenyl columns in series gives good separations of a mixture of monosaccharides and a mixture of disaccharides and trisaccharides. Resolution of certain monosaccharides is enhanced by replacing triethylamine with a chiral amine and using gradient elution. Further enhancement of resolution is achieved by adding phenylboronic acid, an agent capable of complexing with the vicinal diol functionality present in many sugars. The trimethylamine-acetic acid eluant permits detection by either ultraviolet absorbance or fluorescence, and the addition of a chiral ion-pairing agent or a phenylboronic acid complexing agent necessitates fluorescence detection. A reversible Schiff base form of the fluorescent sugar conjugate is prepared; it is sufficiently stable to perform fractionations but sufficiently unstable to be converted to a fluorescent label and reducing sugar.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Preparation and structural characterization of large heparin-derived oligosaccharides.

Porcine mucosal heparin was partially depolymerized with heparin lyase I and then fractionated into low-molecular-weight (< 5000) and high-molecular-weight (> 5000) oligosaccharides by pressure filtration. The high-molecular-weight oligosaccharide mixture (approximately 50 wt% of the starting heparin) also contained intact heparin. This intact polymer complicates oligosaccharide purification. Thus, the low-molecular-weight fraction was used to prepare homogeneous oligosaccharides for structural characterization. The low-molecular-weight oligosaccharide mixture was first fractionated by low-pressure gel permeation chromatography into size-uniform mixtures of disaccharides, tetrasaccharides, hexasaccharides, octasaccharides, decasaccharides, dodecasaccharides, tetradecasaccharides and higher oligosaccharides. Each size-fractionated mixture was then purified on the basis of charge by repetitive semi-preparative strong-anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography. This approach has led to the isolation of 14 homogeneous oligosaccharides from disaccharide to tetradecasaccharide. The purity of these heparin-derived oligosaccharides was determined by gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, analytical strong-anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and one-dimensional nuclear resonance spectroscopy. The structure of these oligosaccharides was established using 600 MHz two-dimensional nuclear resonance spectroscopy. The spectral methods used included homonuclear correlation spectroscopy, nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy and heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence spectroscopy. The 1H/1H connectivities of the protons of each sugar residue in an oligosaccharide were established by two-dimensional homonuclear correlation spectroscopy, while 1H/13C assignments were made using 1H inverse detection. One- and two-dimensional nuclear resonance spectroscopic analysis of these heparin oligosaccharides showed two closely related groups of heparin-oligosaccharides are afforded by enzymatic depolymerization of heparin. One group is fully sulphated, having the structures delta UAp2S(1[-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpS6S(1-->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp2S( 1]n-->4)-alpha- D-GlcNpS6S, where delta UAp is 4-deoxy-alpha-L-threo-hex-4-eno-pyranosyluronic acid, GlcNp is 2-deoxy-2-aminoglucopyranose, IdoAp is idopyranosyluronic acid, S is sulphate and n = 0-6. The other group of oligosaccharides differ in that they contain beta-D-glucuronic acid in place of the alpha-L-iduronic acid residue nearest to the reducing end. The present study describes the isolation and structural elucidation of seven new oligosaccharides: an octasaccharide, two decasaccharides, two dodecasaccharides and two tetradecasaccharides. The utility of two-dimensional nuclear resonance spectroscopy to determine the structure of complex heparin oligosaccharides is also illustrated.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Strategy for the sequence analysis of heparin.

The versatile biological activities of proteoglycans are mainly mediated by their glycosaminoglycan (GAG) components. Unlike proteins and nucleic acids, no satisfactory method for sequencing GAGs has been developed. This paper describes a strategy to sequence the GAG chains of heparin. Heparin, prepared from animal tissue, and processed by proteinases and endoglucuronidases, is 90% GAG heparin and 10% peptidoglycan heparin (containing small remnants of core protein). Raw porcine mucosal heparin was labelled on the amino termini of these core protein remnants with a hydrophobic, fluorescent tag [N-4-(6-dimethylamino-2-benzofuranyl) phenyl (NDBP)-isothiocyanate]. Enrichment of the NDBP-heparin using phenyl-Sepharose chromatography, followed by treatment with a mixture of heparin lyase I and III, resulted in a single NDBP-linkage region tetrasaccharide, which was characterized as deltaUAp(1-->3)-beta-D-Galp(1-->3)-beta-D-Galp(1-->4)-beta-Xylp -(1-->O-Ser-NDBP (deltaUAp is 4-deoxy-alpha-L-threo-hex-4-enopyranosyl uronic acid). Several NDBP-octasaccharides were isolated when NDBP-heparin was treated with only heparin lyase I. The structure of one of these NDBP-octasaccharides, deltaUAp2S(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpAc(1-->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp (1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpAc6S(1-->4)-beta-D-GlcAp(1-->3)-beta-D- Galp(1-->3)-beta-D-Galp(1-->4)-beta-Xylp-(1-->O-Ser NDBP (S is sulphate, Ac is acetate), was determined by 1H-NMR and enzymatic methods. Enriched NDBP-heparin was treated with lithium hydroxide to release heparin, and the GAG chain was then labelled at xylose with 7-amino-1,3-naphthalene disulphonic acid (AGA). The resulting AGA-Xyl-heparin was sequenced on gradient PAGE using heparin lyase I and heparin lyase III. A predominant sequence in heparin at the protein core attachment site was deduced to be -D-GlcNp2S6S(or 6OH)(1-->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp2S-(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNp2S6S (or60H) (1-->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp2S(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNp2S6S( or 6OH)(1-->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp2S(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpAc (1- ->4)-alpha-L-IdoAp(1-->4)-alpha-D-GlcNpAc6S(1-->4)-beta-D-++ +GlcAp(1-->3)-beta-D-Galp(1-->3)-beta-D-Galp(1-->4)-beta-Xyl-AGA.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Human milk glycosaminoglycans inhibit HIV glycoprotein gp120 binding to its host cell CD4 receptor.

The binding of the HIV envelope glycoprotein, gp120, to its host cell receptor, CD4, is inhibited in a solid phase assay by a glycosaminoglycan of human milk; this binding is the essential first step in HIV infectivity. The human milk glycosaminoglycans were identified in this study. Pooled, fractionated human milk contained dermatan sulfate, heparin, heparan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate. The ability of this glycosaminoglycan fraction to inhibit binding was unaffected by digestion with lytic enzymes specific for heparin, heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate, but was lost when the milk fraction was treated with lytic enzymes specific for chondroitin sulfate. Furthermore, a purified milk fraction with high specific inhibitory activity contained chondroitin sulfate but not other glycosaminoglycans. This indicates that the ability of human milk to inhibit gp120 binding to CD4 may be attributed to chondroitin sulfate or to a chondroitin sulfate-like moiety rather than to other components of human milk. We speculate that this human milk glycosaminoglycan could limit the rate of postnatal vertical transmission of HIV in breast-fed infants of HIV-infected mothers.

CD4 Antigens↗
PubMed1995

Carbohydrate-protein interactions in vascular biology.

Carbohydrate-protein interactions participate in a wide variety of biological and pathological events. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to the carbohydrate-protein interactions that occur in vascular biology. Sialylated oligosaccharides are ligands of a structurally diverse group of proteins that include the selectins and members of the immunoglobulin superfamily. Various glycosaminoglycans can be recognized by an overlapping set of proteins that include two of the selectins and CD44. Emerging knowledge of carbohydrate-protein interactions in human pathophysiology are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 association with endothelial cells: role of C-terminal heparin binding domain.

IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5, but not the other 4 IGF binding proteins, specifically bound to endothelial cell (EC) monolayers. Charged compounds, such as heparin and heparan sulfate, competed for this binding. Of the 6 IGFBPs, IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 had the greatest heparin affinity. Peptides of 18 amino acids were synthesized, corresponding to a common basic region of IGFBP-3 (P3), IGFBP-5 and IGFBP-6 (P6) which contained a heparin binding sequence. P3 and P6 inhibited IGFBP-3 and -5 binding to endothelial cell monolayers and the peptides bound directly to EC extracellular matrix. This suggested that the C-terminal basic segment of IGFBP-3/-5 is important for the association of the binding protein with the EC monolayer.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Separation of glycosaminoglycan-derived oligosaccharides by capillary electrophoresis using reverse polarity.

A comparative study on compositional analysis of two sets of eight unsaturated disaccharide standards derived from heparin/heparan sulfate and chondroitin/dermatan sulfate was carried out using capillary electrophoresis performed in both normal and reverse polarity modes. While these heparin/heparan sulfate disaccharides (S. A. Ampofo, H. M. Wang, and R. J. Linhardt (1991) Anal. Biochem. 199, 249-255) and chondroitin/dermatan sulfate disaccharides (A. Al-Hakim and R. J. Linhardt (1991) Anal. Biochem. 195, 68-73) have previously been fractionated using normal polarity capillary electrophoresis, multiple buffer systems and conditions were required to separate certain disaccharide isomers and these separations often resulted in poor peak symmetry and significant tailing. This paper demonstrates that reverse polarity capillary electrophoresis completely resolves disaccharide mixtures into all components using a single buffer, 20 mM phosphoric acid-sodium phosphate at pH 3.48. This improved resolution is due primarily to an increase in the sharpness of peaks and improved peak symmetry. Separation of heparin-derived oligosaccharides, ranging from disaccharide to hexasaccharide, had also previously been reported using normal polarity capillary electrophoresis (U.R. Desai, H.M. Wang, S.A. Ampofo, and R.J. Linhardt (1993) Anal. Biochem. 213, 120-127). This paper now demonstrates the separation of 13 heparin-derived oligosaccharides of sizes ranging from disaccharide to tetradecasaccharide using both reverse and normal polarities. An enzymatic digestion of bovine lung heparin containing many of these larger oligosaccharides was also compared in both normal and reverse polarity modes. Mixtures containing oligosaccharides primarily differing in size (number of saccharide units) were better resolved using normal polarity.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Interaction of heparin with synthetic antithrombin III peptide analogues.

Heparin-binding proteins may contain specific patterns of basic amino acids, called consensus sequences, that interact with heparin. Small peptides were synthesized that contained consensus sequences (i.e. FAKLNCRLYRKANKSSK) or disrupted consensus sequences (i.e. K136-->A) based on the known sequence of antithrombin III (amino acid residues 123-139). These peptides were then examined in both competitive and non-competitive binding experiments using bioassays, fluorescence spectroscopy, affinity chromatography and n.m.r. spectroscopy. Both the consensus and disrupted-consensus peptide bound to heparin. Peptides with consensus sequences bound specifically to the pentasaccharide antithrombin III-binding site within heparin. In contrast, peptides with disrupted consensus sequences showed no specificity, binding to any sequence within heparin. Proton nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy demonstrated the proximity of leucine and tyrosine (within the consensus sequence) to the N-acetyl moiety found primarily within the pentasaccharide antithrombin III-binding site of heparin. This experiment confirmed the findings of the other techniques and helped to localize the binding sites in both peptides and heparin. A model is proposed for both specific and non-specific heparin interaction with consensus and disrupted-consensus peptides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Low molecular weight dermatan sulfate as an antithrombotic agent. Structure-activity relationship studies.

A structure-activity relationship of low molecular weight dermatan sulfate was undertaken to understand better this new non-heparin, glycosaminoglycan-based antithrombotic agent. A dermatan sulfate prepared from bovine intestinal mucosa [average molecular weight (MWavg) 25,000], and currently in clinical trials as an antithrombotic agent, was used in this study. Dermatan sulfate was partially depolymerized using hydrogen peroxide and copper(II) as catalyst to MWavg 5600 to obtain a low molecular weight dermatan sulfate. This low molecular weight dermatan sulfate was then fractionated by gel permeation chromatography to obtain four subfractions having MWavg 7800, 5500, 4200 and 1950. The dermatan sulfate, low molecular weight dermatan sulfate and its subfractions showed substantially different optical rotations. The 1H-NMR spectroscopic analysis of dermatan sulfate samples showed some differences including increased content of GalpNAc4S6S residues and improved resolution in ring resonances for low molecular weight dermatan sulfate fractions, primarily the result of reduced molecular weight and lowered heterogeneity. Saccharide compositional analysis relied on chondroitin ABC lyase treatment followed by capillary electrophoresis. Polyacrylamide gel-based oligosaccharide mapping was also performed by treating dermatan sulfate samples with chondroitin B, AC and ABC lysases. These analyses showed increased amounts of sulfation as the MWavg decreased. In vitro bioassay showed maximum anti-Xa activity in the 4.2 kDa fraction and maximum heparin cofactor II-mediated anti-IIa activity in the 5.5 kDa fraction. The in vivo antithrombotic activity of these fractions was measured using a modified Wessler stasis thrombosis model. The 4.2 kDa fraction showed greater antithrombotic activity than the other low molecular weight dermatan sulfate fractions, dermatan sulfate, and low molecular weight dermatan sulfate. This enhanced activity may result from several structural features of the 4.2 kDa fraction including: a high content of 4,6- and 2,4-disulfated disaccharide sequences; the requirement of specific chain length; a change in the ratio of iduronic to glucuronic acid; and the presence of chondroitin ABC lyase resistant material.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Molecular weight of low molecular weight heparins by 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Heparin and low molecular weight heparins are polydisperse polysaccharides with a degree of polymerization ranging from 4 to approximately 40. The determination of their average molecular weights has traditionally relied on size exclusion chromatography involving the use of oligosaccharides of known size and molecular weight as standards. 13C NMR spectroscopy is applied for the first time to obtain the molecular weights of low molecular weight heparins. The signal intensities of the reducing end and internal anomeric carbons, having distinctive chemical shifts in the 13C NMR spectrum, are measured to determine the molecular weight. Compared to techniques utilizing broad band decoupling or selective decoupling of anomeric protons, distortionless enhancement polarization transfer pulse sequence gave better quantitation of signal intensities of anomeric carbons. Molecular weight was calculated from the calibrated ratio of signal intensities of the anomeric carbons of reducing end groups and internal residues, and the disaccharide compositional analysis. The calibrated signal intensity ratio is determined using the T1 relaxation rates of anomeric carbons of model oligosaccharides. The disaccharide composition of low molecular weight-heparins is obtained using capillary electrophoresis. Signal averaging over 40,000-90,000 transients, requiring a total of 12-18 h on a 360-MHz NMR spectrometer was adequate to measure molecular weights in the range of 3000-7000. The measured molecular weights of twelve low molecular weight heparins, analyzed by this 13C NMR spectroscopic technique, correlated well with the number average molecular weights obtained using high performance-gel permeation chromatography and gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In addition to establishing the number average molecular weight, the 13C NMR spectra helped distinguish the structural properties of different commercially prepared low molecular weight heparins.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗
PubMed1994

New approaches for the preparation of hydrophobic heparin derivatives.

A heparin derivative sufficiently lipophilic to be bound to plastics, forming blood-compatible supports, or to be used as an anticoagulant by transdermal or oral routes would be of great pharmaceutical interest. For such applications, the functional groups within heparin's antithrombin III binding site, responsible for its anticoagulant activity, cannot be modified. Chemistry is described in which lipophilic substituents were attached to the reducing termini of heparin chains. Substituents introduced at this position had a minimal effect on the antithrombin III binding sites found in heparin's interior. These derivatives, with enhanced hydrophobicities, were prepared using two distinctly different approaches. First, octyl isocyanate and octadecyl isocyanate were coupled to the core peptide of peptidoglycan heparin to form octyl- and octadecyl-peptidoglycan heparin. These octyl- and octadecyl-peptidoglycan heparins were then purified by hydrophobic interaction chromatography on phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B, demonstrating their enhanced hydrophobicities. Second, the lipophilic acyl hydrazides of various long chain fatty acids were coupled to heparin's reducing end. Caprylic (C8), capric (C10), lauric (C12), and stearic (C18) hydrazide derivatives of heparin were prepared using this approach. Only the stearyl hydrazide derivative of heparin showed a measurable increase in lipophilicity. This result demonstrated that a single small linear C8, C10, or C12 aliphatic chain was ineffective in enhancing the hydrophobicity of the highly negative, polyanionic heparin molecule. Two lipophilic chains, lauryl (C12) and stearyl (C18), were then coupled to a single heparin chain, resulting in a heparin derivative having enhanced hydrophobicity. All the heparin derivatives prepared in this study maintained some of their anticoagulant activity.

Antithrombin III↗
PubMed1994

Directional immobilization of heparin onto beaded supports.

Heparin was immobilized in a defined orientation on Sepharose, agarose, and polyacrylamide supports by coupling through its reducing end. This is expected to mimic the attachment of heparin to the protein core in the naturally occurring proteoglycan and impart better ligand binding efficiency by exposing all the binding sites available in the naturally occurring heparin. The coupling chemistry was accomplished by modifying heparin at its reducing end to introduce reactive functionality that can react with appropriately functionalized supports. Three reducing end modified heparins were synthesized and characterized: 2,6-diaminopyridinyl heparin, containing a reactive amino group at the reducing end; omega-hydrazido-adipyl-azo heparin, containing a hydrazido group at the reducing end; and heparin lactone, containing a reactive ester functionality at the reducing end. These heparin derivatives were then reacted with the supports to give directionally immobilized heparin using different coupling chemistries: coupling of reducing end modified heparins to amine-containing supports (i.e., omega-aminohexyl Sepharose and omega-aminobutyl agarose), hydrazide-containing supports (i.e., Emphaze hydrazide), and activated carboxy-containing supports (i.e., activated 6-aminohexanoic acid Sepharose, Emphaze azlactone). The heparinized matrices were prepared and analyzed for their heparin content and protamine binding capacity.

Chromatography, Affinity↗
PubMed1994

Accelerated degradation of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) by organic amines.

The solid-state degradation of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) catalyzed by primary, secondary and tertiary alkylamines was investigated. The degradation process was monitored by weight loss and molecular weight change measured by gel permeation chromatography. Degradation studies were conducted at 37 degrees C in methanol solutions of the alkylamines. Primary alkylamines caused rapid weight loss (i.e., approximately 90% weight loss in 30 days) that depended on alkylamine concentration, molar ratio of alkylamine to poly(epsilon-caprolactone) monomer and alkyl chain length. The secondary alkylamines caused less rapid polymer weight loss (i.e., approximately 90%) weight loss within 80 days). One tertiary alkylamine (N,N-diisopropylethylamine) showed little catalytic effect while a bicyclic tertiary alkylamine (quinuclidine) was about as catalytic as the primary alkylamines. The degradation products isolated when primary alkylamines were used include both esters and amides indicating that nucleophilic attack by the alkylamines competed with the amine-catalyzed methanolysis reaction. Only ester moieties could be identified in the products from reactions containing secondary and tertiary alkylamines, which indicated that they acted as nucleophilic catalysts. All of the primary alkylamines reduced poly(epsilon-caprolactone) molecular weight from about 25,000 to 10,000 within 10 days after which the molecular weight of the remaining solid leveled off even though weight loss continued.

Amines↗
PubMed1994

Action pattern of polysaccharide lyases on glycosaminoglycans.

The action pattern of polysaccharide lyases on glycosaminoglycan substrates was examined using viscosimetric measurements and gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Heparin lyase I (heparinase, EC 4.2.2.7) and heparin lyase II (no EC number) both acted on heparin in a random endolytic fashion. Heparin lyase II showed an ideal endolytic action pattern on heparan sulphate, while heparin lyase I decreased the molecular weight of heparan sulphate more slowly. Heparin lyase III (heparitinase, EC 4.2.2.8) acted endolytically only on heparan sulphate and did not cleave heparin. Chondroitin ABC lyase (chondroitinase ABC, EC 4.2.2.4) from Proteus vulgaris acted endolytically on chondroitin-6-sulphate (chondroitin sulphate C) and dermatan sulphate at nearly identical initial rates, but acted on chondroitin-4-sulphate (chondroitin sulphate A) at a reduced rate, decreasing its molecular weight much more slowly. Two chondroitin AC lyases (chondroitinase AC, both EC 4.2.2.5) were examined towards chondroitin-4- and -6-sulphates. The exolytic action of chondroitin AC lyase A from Arthrobacter aurescens on both chondroitin-4- and -6-sulphates was demonstrated viscosimetrically and confirmed using both gradient PAGE and gel permeation chromatography. Chondroitin AC lyase F from Flavobacterium heparinum (Cytophagia heparinia) acted endolytically on the same substrates. Chondroitin B lyase (chondroitinase B, no EC number) from F.heparinum acted endolytically on dermatan sulphate giving a nearly identical action pattern as observed for chondroitin ABC lyase acting on dermatan sulphate.

Arthrobacter↗
PubMed1993

Heparin oligosaccharides bind L- and P-selectin and inhibit acute inflammation.

Initial attachment of leukocytes to the vessel wall at sites of inflammation is supported by a family of carbohydrate-binding adhesion molecules called the selectins. Selectin ligands include sialyl-Lewis x (sLex, Neu5Ac alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4[Fuc alpha 1-3]GlcNAc--) and related structures. We report here that defined heparin oligosaccharides interact with the selectins. Heparin chains containing four or more monosaccharide residues inhibited the function of L- and P-selectin, but not E-selectin, in vitro. In a competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay measuring inhibition of solution-phase selectin-Ig fusion proteins (selectin-Ig) binding to immobilized bovine serum albumin-sLex neoglycoprotein, a heparin-derived tetrasaccharide mixture inhibited 50% of L- and P-selectin-Ig binding (IC50) at 200 +/- 40 mumol/L and 850 +/- 110 mumol/L, respectively. A single hexasulfated tetrasaccharide (delta UA2S alpha 1-4GlcNS6S alpha 1-4IdoA2S alpha 1-4GlcNS6S) was particularly active against L- and P-selectin-Ig (IC50 = 46 +/- 5 mumol/L and 341 +/- 24 mumol/L). By comparison, the tetrasaccharide sLex was not inhibitory at concentrations up to 1 mmol/L. In cell adhesion assays, heparin tetrasaccharides reduced binding of neutrophils to COS cells expressing P-selectin but not to COS cells expressing E-selectin. They also blocked colon cancer cell adhesion to L- and P-selectin but not E-selectin. In a model of acute inflammation, intravenously administered heparin tetrasaccharides diminished influx of neutrophils into the peritoneal cavities of thioglycollate-treated mice. We conclude that heparin oligosaccharides, including non-anticoagulant tetrasaccharides, are effective L- and P-selectin inhibitors in vitro and have anti-inflammatory activity in vivo.

Acute Disease↗