Glycosaminoglycans in Wound Healing

Abstract

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are ancient molecules that have persisted throughout vertebrate and invertebrate evolution for many\nhundreds of millions of years. They have essential roles in the regulation of many fundamental physiological processes, which control cellular proliferation,\ndifferentiation, matrix assembly, homeostasis, and cellular behavior, which has ensured the survival of vertebrates and invertebrates to the\npresent day. In this study, we review the roles of GAGs in wound repair in a number of tissues. The healing of some wounds such as diabetic ulcers,\ncartilaginous defects, and damaged neural tissue can be a particularly demanding clinical problem. However, with the directive roles that GAGs\nhave established through evolution, the development of key matrix and cellular molecules to control cellular behavior has resulted in the development\nof sophisticated control systems to regulate key physiological life-preserving processes. The control of wound repair is but one example of these.\nWith a greater understanding of how GAGs actually do this, inroads are being made in the application of this information in the development of\ntherapeutic procedures to improve repair of these problematic tissues. The application of engineered heparin sulfate (HS), human natural killer-1\n(HNK-1), and HS biomimetics in neuromuscular repair biology, activated protein C in the treatment of diabetic ulcers, and affinity-isolated HS\nsubfractions for specific applications in bone and vascular repair and in the improved expansion of mesenchymal stem cells for therapeutic applications\nrepresent significant advances in wound repair biology and emphasize the importance of GAGs in these processes. Armed with a greater\nunderstanding of the glycocode