Heparan sulphate, its derivatives and analogues share structural characteristics that can be exploited, particularly in inhibiting microbial attachment
Braz. j. med. biol. res
;
45(5): 386-391, May 2012.
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-622772
ABSTRACT
Heparan sulphate (HS) and the related polysaccharide, heparin, exhibit conformational and charge arrangement properties, which provide a degree of redundancy allowing several seemingly distinct sequences to exhibit the same activity. This can also be mimicked by other sulphated polysaccharides, both in overall effect and in the details of interactions and structural consequences of interactions with proteins. Together, these provide a source of active compounds suitable for further development as potential drugs. These polysaccharides also possess considerable size, which bestows upon them an additional useful property the capability of disrupting processes comprising many individual interactions, such as those characterising the attachment of microbial pathogens to host cells. The range of involvement of HS in microbial attachment is reviewed and examples, which include viral, bacterial and parasitic infections and which, in many cases, are now being investigated as potential targets for intervention, are identified.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Polysaccharides
/
Bacteria
/
Bacterial Adhesion
/
Heparitin Sulfate
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Braz. j. med. biol. res
Journal subject:
Biology
/
Medicine
Year:
2012
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
/
Italy
/
United kingdom
Institution/Affiliation country:
Istituto di Chimica e Biochimica/IT
/
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro/BR
/
University of Liverpool/GB
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