Antiangiogenic heparin-derived heparan sulfate mimics

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) widely distributed as a proteoglycan on the cell surface and in the extracellular matrix of animal tissues. Among other important physiological functions, its polysaccharide chains mediate cell proliferation by binding growth factors [fibroblast growth factor (FGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)], which are released in active form through the action of the enzyme heparanase overexpressed by tumor cells. HS is constituted of alternating disaccharide sequences of variously sulfated uronic acid (D-glucuronic, GlcA, or L-iduronic, IdoA) and glucosamine (N-acetylated, GlcNAc, or N-sulfated, GlcNSO(3)). HS mimics can be obtained by chemical modification of heparin, a more highly sulfated GAG clinically used as an anticoagulant and antithrombotic drug. With the aim of obtaining antagonists of FGFs as potential inhibitors of tumor neo-vascularization (angiogenesis), arrays of short FGF-binding sequences have been obtained by generating sulfation gaps within the prevalent (IdoA(2)SO(3)-GlcNSO(3)6SO(3))(n) sequences of heparin, by controlled base-catalyzed removal of 2-O-sulfate groups of IdoA(2)SO(3) residues. The C(2)-C(3) bond of all nonsulfated uronic acid residues have then been split with periodate, to generate flexible joints along the polysaccharide chain. The novel heparin derivative (poly-PST.sU), chiefly made up of the repeating tetrasaccharide units-GlcNSO(3)6SO(3)-IdoA(2)SO(3)-GlcNSO(3)6SO(3)-sU-(where sU is a glycol-split and reduced uronic acid residue) binds FGF2 as strongly as heparin. However, it is a poor inducer of formation of FGF2 dimers and of complexes with FGF receptors, required for triggering mitogenic signals. NMR and molecular modeling studies indicate that formation of these higher-order complexes is prevented by the unfavorable conformation induced by glycol-split residues. In a parallel study, partially N-acetylated heparins have been obtained that efficiently inhibit heparanase upon glycol-splitting. It is noteworthy that glycol-splitting involves inactivation of the active site for antithrombin, with consequent loss of anticoagulant activity. In contrast, poly-PST.sU and some of its analogs show potent antiangiogenic activity in in vivo models in which heparin is either proangiogenic or inactive.