[Current trends in the study of microbial glycopolymers]

The prospects of studying glycopolymers both in theoretical and practical aspects are presented. The paper deals with: 1) different strategies of the struggle with endotoxical shock, caused by lipopolysaccharides of gram-negative bacteria, 2) role of carbohydrates in the design of drugs, including antibiotics, 3) use of the enzyme inhibitors as medicines, 4) possibilities of the use of proteolytic enzymes, collagenase and keratinase, in particular, both for theoretical investigations (the finding of the structure of proteins and peptides), and for their use in practice.