Thrombin inhibition by antithrombin in the presence of oversulfated dermatan sulfates.

DSS1 and DSS2 are two oversulfated dermatan sulfate derivatives with sulfur contents of 7.8% and 11.5%, respectively. DSS1 and DSS2 both enhanced the rate at which antithrombin (AT) inactivates thrombin according to a concentration dependent manner. The analysis of the experimental data, using our previously described kinetic model [Biomaterials1997, 18, 203] (i) suggested that both DSS1 and DSS2 catalyzed the thrombin-AT reaction according to a mechanism in which the oversulfated derivative quickly formed with AT a complex, which was more reactive towards thrombin than the free inhibitor and (ii) allowed us to determine the dissociation constants of the polysaccharide-inhibitor complexes, which were (1.15 +/- 0.74) x 10(-7) and (7.17 +/- 0.65) x 10(-9) M, and the catalyzed reaction rate constants, which were (2.29 +/- 0.15) x 10(8) and (8.71 +/- 0.08) x 10(8) M(-1) min(-1), for DSS1 and DSS2, respectively. These data suggested that the oversulfation confers an affinity for AT to dermatan sulfate and that the higher the sulfur content the higher the affinity for AT. They also suggested that the reactivities of the polysaccharide-AT complexes formed towards the protease increased with the sulfur content.

Biomimetic poly(methyl methacrylate)-based terpolymers: modulation of bacterial adhesion effect.

Adherence of Staphylococcus aureus, responsible for major foreign body infections, was assessed onto functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate)-based terpolymers bearing sulfonate and carboxylate groups and onto poly(methyl methacrylate) as control. These terpolymers, have been synthesized by radical copolymerization of methyl methacrylate, methacrylic acid, and sodium styrene sulfonate by varying the ratio R = [COO(-)]/[COO(-) + SO(3)(-)] from 0 to 1 and keeping ionic monomer content between 7 and 18%. Adsorption of fibronectin onto poly(methyl methacrylate) was shown to dramatically promote bacterial adherence, whereas a strong inhibition of bacteria adherence was observed onto functionalized terpolymers containing both carboxylate and sulfonate groups. When terpolymers were predominantly functionalized by carboxylate groups, bacteria adherence was favored and reached values close to those obtained for poly(methyl methacrylate). These results have been related to the distribution of the anionic groups along the macromolecular chains, creating active sites responsible for specific interactions with fibronectin and inducing modifications of its conformation. The conformation of the adsorbed adhesive protein was then suggested to have an influence on the availability of its interaction sites to bacteria adhesins and therefore on modulation of bacteria adherence. Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus adherence by functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate)-based terpolymers is of great interest in the field of biomedical implants and especially in the case of ophthalmic applications.

Selective surface adhesion of the toxic microalga Alexandrium minutum induced by contact with substituted polystyrene derivatives.

On the basis of observations that biospecific random copolymers (RACS) could induce phenotypic changes on contact with selected eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell lines, polystyrene derivatives of known compositions and obtained by random substitutions of sodium sulfonate and of sulfamides of aspartic acid dimethyl ester, phenylalanine and leucine, were placed in contact with swimming dinophytes of the PSP toxin producing species Alexandrium minutum and of the non-toxic species Heterocapsa triquetra. A. minutum cells exhibited higher adhesion for the random copolymer made up of polystyrene (29%), polystyrene aspartic acid dimethyl ester sulfamide (47%) and polystyrene sodium sulfonate (24%), than for samples of this series with different compositions. In contrast to this, A. minutum adhesion remained very low throughout the phenylalanine and leucine copolymer series. These results indicate that the cell-substrate adhesion phenomenon is dependent upon the final composition of the copolymer, i.e. that it is composition-specific. Taxonomic specificity was then demonstrated by presenting the PSAspOMe copolymer series with cells of the non toxic species H. triquetra (Peridinialia) related to A. minutum (Gonyaulacacea), and by observing no specific association, i.e. no signal above background levels at any composition. Specific ligand-cell adhesion is evidenced for the first time between biospecific RACS and phytoplankton, which may inspire a new generation of structures to be used in aquaculture as protective nets over shellfish clusters, or as selective filtering devices to assist in shellfish depuration from toxic microalgae.