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Updated: May 24, 2026

Dendrimer-based Uneven Nanopatterns to Locally Control Surface Adhesiveness: A Method to Direct Chondrogenic Differentiation
Published on: January 20, 2018
Erythrocytes express chondroitin sulphate/dermatan sulphate, which undergoes quantitative changes during diabetes and
C B Srikanth1, P V Salimath, C D Nandini
1Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore 570 020, Karnataka, India.
Abstract:
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as chondroitin sulphate/dermatan sulphate (CS/DS) are complex molecules that are widely expressed on the cell membrane and extracellular matrix (ECM). They play an important role in wide range of biological activities especially during pathological conditions. Diabetes, a metabolic disorder characterized by sustained hyperglycemia, is known to affect GAGs in different tissues and affect erythrocyte adhesion. The present investigation was aimed at exploring the nature of GAGs present in erythrocytes and its role on adhesion of erythrocytes from control and diabetic rats to major extracellular matrix components. GAGs isolated from erythrocytes were demonstrated to be CS/DS and a 2-fold increase was observed in erythrocytes from diabetic rats. Disaccharide composition analysis by HPLC after depolymerization by the enzyme, chondroitinase ABC showed the presence of 4-O sulphated disaccharide units with small amounts of non-sulphated disaccharides, in both control and diabetic erythrocytes. Erythrocytes from diabetic rats, however, showed significantly increased binding to poly-l-ornithine (P-orn), type IV collagen, laminin and fibronectin, which was abrogated on treatment with chondroitinase ABC to various degrees. This study sheds new light on CS/DS in erythrocytes and its likely biological implications in vivo.
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