Nonanticoagulant Actions of Glycosaminoglycans

Prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolism have made one of the major impacts in medicine. Heparin has widely been used as the most effective drug during the last 50 years. However, its potential side effects have led to the search for equally effective but safer alternatives. At present, the low-molecular-weight heparins are the most promising steps in this direction. Considerable interest has been generated at the same time in exploring other gly­ cosaminoglycans of the nonheparin type for therapeutic use. The existence of these com­ pounds has been known for a long time and substantial information has been gathered on glycosaminoglycans such as heparinsulfate, dermatansulfate, and chondroitinsulfate. Many of these substances are derived from animal or plant sources, and some of them have now been synthesized. The aim of the Fourth Symposium on Glycosaminoglycan Research at Villa Vigoni in Loveno at Lake Comolltaly was to summarize the considerable new information in this field. The articles of the present volume are mainly based on a German-Italian collaboration supported by the Vigoni Program. The selected articles describe many different, nonheparin glycosaminoglycans, some of them already in clinical trials as antithrombotic agents. In particular, the interaction of glycosaminoglycans with some cellular elements of blood, especially leukocytes and platelets, are discussed. New methods for their identification and assays are described and considerable emphasis is placed on the pharmacokinetic aspects of these new compounds. Particularly, some nonanticoagulant activities of the glycosamino­ glycans are discussed in detail.

Inequivalence of Glycosaminoglycans Using High Performance Size Exclusion Chromatography, Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis and High Performance Capillary Electrophoresis (R. Malsch et al.). New NMR Spectroscopic Approaches for Structural Analysis of Glycosaminoglycans (G. Torri). Application of Mass Spectrometry to the Analysis of Natural and Synthetic Sulfated Oligosaccharides (L. Silvestro et al.). Identification of a Monoclonal IgG1antibody that Specifically Recognized Heparin and Heparinfractions (G. Huhle et al.). New NMR Spectroscopic Approaches for Structural Analysis of Glycosaminoglycans (A. Naggi). Pharmacology of Synthetic and Biotechnology Derived Homologues and Analogues of Heparin (W. Jeske et al.). Protein Binding of Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans: Searching for Specifity (B. Casu). Nonanticoagulant Actions of Glycosaminoglycans: Protein Binding Studies (A. Iorio et al.). Binding of Glycosaminoglycans to Leukocytes Using Fluorescent Labeled GAGderivatives (J. Harenberg et al.). Intact Biological Activity and Binding to Granulocytes of Lowmolecularmass HeparintyramineFitc (L. Piazolo et al.). A Detailed Evaluation of the Structural and Biological Effects of Alkaline Odesulfation Reaction of Heparin (K. Holme et al.). Glycosaminoglycans and Related Structures as Potential Inhibitors for Erythrocyte Infection by Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria (R.A. Laine). The Interaction of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) with Heparin Sulfate Proteoglycans: Biochemical Bases and Biological Implications (M. Rusnati et al.). Binding of 125IbFGF to Rat Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells: Effect of a Series of Natural and Chemicallymodified Heparins and Heparan Sulfates (L. Giorgini et al.). Modulatory Role of Heparin and Heparan Sulfates on Angiogenesis (G. Camussi et al.). Involvement of Thrombin on GAGs Release in Different Cellular Systems (D. Rotilio et al.). TFPI Release by GAGs and Its Role in Their Mechanism of Action (R. Radziwon et al.). Biological Activities on the Platelet Aggregation of a Structurally Defined Curdlan Sulfate (S. Alban et al.). Influence of Glycosaminoglycans on Natural Killer Cell Activity (S. Johann, R. Förster). Nonanticoagulant Actions of Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). The Therapeutical Approach to Alzheimer's Disease (U. Cornelli, T.U. Ban). Therapy with Glycosaminoglycans in Nephrology (G. Gambaro et al.). Index.