Biological role of heparan sulfate in osteogenesis: A review

Zhujie Xu1, Shayang Chen1, Dehong Feng1

  • 1Department of Orthopedics, The Affiliated Wuxi People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214023, PR China.

Carbohydrate Polymers
|August 23, 2021
PubMed

Heparan sulfate (HS) is extensively expressed in cells, for example, cell membrane and extracellular matrix of most mammalian cells and tissues, playing a key role in the growth and development of life by maintaining homeostasis and implicating in the etiology and diseases. Recent studies have revealed that HS is involved in osteogenesis via coordinating multiple signaling pathways. The potential effect of HS on osteogenesis is a complicated and delicate biological process, which involves the participation of osteocytes, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts and a variety of cytokines. In this review, we summarized the structural and functional characteristics of HS and highlighted the molecular mechanism of HS in bone metabolism to provide novel research perspectives for the further medical research.

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