Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Detection of Glycosaminoglycans by Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis and Silver Staining

Detection of Glycosaminoglycans by Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis and Silver Staining

Published on: February 25, 2021

Chemical Synthesis of Glycosaminoglycans

Marco Mende¹, Christin Bednarek¹, Mirella Wawryszyn¹

¹Institute of Organic Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) , Fritz-Haber-Weg 6, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.

Chemical Reviews

|July 14, 2016

Abstract:

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) as one major part of the glycocalyx are involved in many essential biological cell processes, as well as in many courses of diseases. Because of the potential therapeutic application of GAG polymers, fragments, and also derivatives toward different diseases (e.g., heparin derivatives against Alzheimer's disease), there is a continual growing demand for new chemical syntheses, which suffice the high claim to stereoselectivity and chemoselectivity. This Review summarizes the progress of chemical syntheses of GAGs over the last 10 years. For each class of the glycosaminoglycans-hyaluronan (HA), heparan sulfate/heparin (HS/HP), chondroitin/dermatan sulfate (CS/DS), and keratan sulfate (KS)-mainly novel glycosylation strategies, elongation sequences, and protecting group patterns are discussed, but also (semi)automated syntheses, enzymatic approaches, and functionalizations of synthesized or isolated GAGs are considered.

More Related Videos

Chemo-enzymatic Synthesis of N-glycans for Array Development and HIV Antibody Profiling

Chemo-enzymatic Synthesis of N-glycans for Array Development and HIV Antibody Profiling

Published on: February 5, 2018

Metabolic Glycoengineering of Sialic Acid Using N-acyl-modified Mannosamines

Metabolic Glycoengineering of Sialic Acid Using N-acyl-modified Mannosamines

Published on: November 25, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Glycosaminoglycans

Glycosaminoglycans

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), also known as mucopolysaccharides, are long and linear polymers comprising of specific repeating disaccharides - the amino sugar that can be N-acetylglucosamine or N-acetylgalactosamine, and a uronic acid that is usually glucuronic acid or iduronic acid.
GAGS are found in the extracellular matrix of vertebrates, invertebrates, and bacteria. Due to their polar nature they attract water, and serve as excellent lubricants or shock absorbers in an animal body.
Hyaluronic...

Proteoglycans

Proteoglycans

Glycans, a class of complex heterogeneous molecules, can be covalently attached to proteins to form glycosylated proteins that regulate various physiological and pathological processes. Glycosylated proteins or glycoproteins comprise N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides. O-glycosylation is the most common type of protein glycosylation. Here, glycans attach to the oxygen atom of the hydroxyl groups of Serine or Threonine residues. O-linked glycosylation occurs later in protein processing,...

Oligosaccharide Assembly

Oligosaccharide Assembly

Protein glycosylation starts in the ER lumen and continues in the Golgi apparatus. Glycosyltransferases catalyze the addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins. Usually, these enzymes add sugars to the hydroxyl groups of selected serine or threonine residues to form O-linked glycans or the amino groups of asparagine residues to form N-linked glycans. Different positions on the same polypeptide chain can contain differently linked glycans.
Multiple sugar molecules that may or may...

Protein Glycosylation

Protein Glycosylation

Glycosylation, the most common post-translational modification for proteins, serves diverse functions. Adding sugars to proteins makes the proteins more resistant to proteolytic digestion. Glycosylated proteins can act as markers and receptors to promote cell-cell adhesion. Additionally, they have many essential quality control functions in the cell, such as correct protein folding and facilitating transport of misfolded proteins to the cytosol, which can be degraded.
Glycosylation occurs in...

Peptidoglycan Synthesis

Peptidoglycan Synthesis

Structure of PeptidoglycanPeptidoglycan is a vital structural component of the bacterial cell wall, providing mechanical strength and shape to the cell. It consists of repeating units of two sugars—N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM)—linked by β-1,4 glycosidic bonds. These sugar chains are cross-linked by short peptide chains, forming a mesh-like polymer that surrounds the bacterial plasma membrane.Cytoplasmic Phase – Precursor SynthesisPeptidoglycan...

Dehydration Synthesis

Dehydration Synthesis

Overview
Dehydration synthesis (also called a condensation reaction) is the chemical process in which two molecules covalently link together to form a new molecule, along with the release of a water molecule. Many physiologically important compounds form by dehydration synthesis reactions, such as complex carbohydrates, proteins, DNA, and RNA.
Synthesis of carbohydrates
Sugar molecules are covalently linked together by dehydration synthesis. During the reaction, the hydroxyl (-OH) group from...

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Design, synthesis and antiproliferative, apoptotic, and immunomodulatory properties of new heteroaryl pyridine-linked 1,2,4-oxadiazoles as prospective dual EGFR/BRAFV600E inhibitors.

RSC advances·2026

Enhanced Energy Transfer from a Metal-Organic Framework to a Highly Confined Organic Phosphorescent Dye.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

Luminescent Copper(I) Complexes with Dual Bridging Ligands and Excitation-Dependent Emission.

Inorganic chemistry·2026

Which Reaction Conditions Work on Drug-Like Molecules? Lessons from 66,000 High-Throughput Experiments.

ACS central science·2026

Design and Synthesis of 4-Arylazo Pyrazole Carboxamides as Dual AChE/BChE Inhibitors: Kinetic and In Silico Evaluation.

Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)·2026

Design, synthesis, in silico studies, and antiproliferative activity of a novel series of thiazole/1,2,3-triazole hybrids as apoptosis inducers and multi-kinase inhibitors endowed with anti-breast cancer activity.

RSC advances·2026

See all related articles