Progress in structural analysis of glycosaminoglycans and their applications in biomaterials

Abstract

The rising interest in the application of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) is one of the main reasons for exploring different species and optimizing the extracting conditions of various GAGs in the last decade. Recent research data on GAGs have suggested that they have many new biological  functions such as anti-atherogenesis, anticoagulation, prevention and cure of arthritis, morphogenesis and cell division. They are widely applied in functional food, clinical medicine, cosmetics and biomaterial. Especially, in
the biomaterials industry, an increasing number of new applications have been found for GAGs such as tissue-engineering material, biodegradable film-forming materials and micro-encapsulating agents. However, these bioactivities and applications are dependent on their fine structure with different monosaccharide unit and substitute group patterns. This review provides recent information on GAGs preparation, determination and structural assay, as well as their potential novel or improved applications such as tissue engineering biomaterial.

Key words: Glycosaminoglycan, structure analysis, biomaterial.