Heparan sulphate oligosaccharides having hepatocyte growth factor binding affinity

摘要

Oligosaccharides having a high specific binding affinity for HGF growth factors and made up of relatively low molecular weight sulphated oligosaccharide chains are disclosed. The chains are composed of at least three disaccharide units including one or more internal sequences of an N-sulphated D-glucosamine 6-sulphate residue and an L-iduronic acid residue. A method is also disclosed for preparing these oligosaccharides in a purified and relatively homogeneous state from heparan sulphate. For the best HGF-binding affinity there are preferably at least five disaccharide units. The most favoured structures contain twelve or fourteen monosaccharide residues in all and include a relatively high proportion of 6-0-sulphated hexosamines, e.g. more than 30 % or even 50 %, as compared to oligosaccharide chains of unmodified native heparan sulphate. These oligosaccharides can modulate HGF activity, and uses thereof as drugs for therapeutic purposes in medicine are also disclosed.