ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION The glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are an important family of highly functionalized, linear, and negatively charged bioactive oligosaccharides that are ubiquitous components of animal connective tissue. Except for hyaluronan and heparin, which are also found in their free form, they exist as long chains covalently bound to a protein core, giving rise to macromolecular assemblies known as proteoglycans (PGs) [17]. As major structural components of PGs, GAGs play both diverse and critical roles in lymphocyte trafficking [2], inflammatory response [3], wound repair and healing [4], and smooth muscle cell migration [5], and in conferring structural stability and resistance to deformation in cartilage [6]. The presence of GAGs on the surface of cells has been described in a number of systems and explains how GAGs achieve the diversity of roles played in various biological processes [7]. Moreover, their polyanionic character makes GAGs ideal cell surface receptors that bind circulating molecules in the extracellular matrix [8].
