Z Biotech’s Heparan Sulfate microarray helps researchers understand polysaccharide interactions at the glycocalyx of cells.

Various polymers show potential as scaffolds for the delivery of drugs to the blood vessel endothelium, however, an efficient method of targeting the endothelium remains elusive. The endothelial cells of the blood vessel are surrounded by an extracellular matrix of glycan macromolecules known as the glycocalyx. The glycocalyx is critical to regulating transport of molecules across the endothelial cell membranes, and it is negatively charged partly due to the presence of heparan sulfate molecules. Therefore, positively charged polysaccharides may be a promising option for delivery of drugs to the glycocalyx and uptake into endothelial cells.

Fu et al. used a Z Biotech Heparan Sulfate microarray to investigate heparan sulfate affinities of variously charged chitosan molecules that were optimized to be soluble at physiological pH. Using the array, they discovered that composition of the heparan sulfate molecules interacting with their polymers had a significant effect on the affinity of the interaction. Greater levels of sulfation led to greater affinity interactions between the polymers and heparan sulfate molecules.