ABSTRACT
Oligosaccharides are short chain carbohydrates containing up to 20 monosaccharide units. They can either be linear or branched chains. Carbohydrates can also occur as “circular” oligosaccharides and the best known examples are the cyclodextrins. The conformation of the oligosaccharide moiety was found to be similar to that in the free state. Of all the sugar residues, those constituting the 1,6-branch show strong attractive interactions with the peptide moiety. The biological importance of blood group and related oligosaccharides and their potential therapeutic applications have led several investigators to study and delineate the conformational preferences of these molecules. Glycosaminoglycans are copolymers of alternating hexosamine and either a hexouronic acid or a hexose. Depending on the nature of the hexosamine, glycosaminoglycans are divided into two groups: glucosaminoglycans and galactosaminoglycans. The biological and pharmacological importance of glycosaminoglycans in general and heparin/haparan sulfate in particular has led to several attempts to understand their preferred conformations.
