A Colorimetric Sensing Ensemble for Heparin

Abstract

A receptor possessing ammoniums and a novel amino acid with a boronic acid side chain was designed and synthesized. The receptor shows good affinity and selectivity for heparin over similar polysaccharides possessing lower anionic charge density. The affinity for heparin is similar to that for a heparin disaccharide, indicating that disaccharidic units are the likely sites for binding to the receptor. The receptor has a potential use for creating a colorimetric assay for heparin.