Neoproteoglycans in tissue engineering

Amanda Weyers, Robert J. Linhardt

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Proteoglycans, comprised of a core protein to which glycosaminoglycan chains are covalently linked, are an important structural and functional family of macromolecules found in the extracellular matrix. Advances in our understanding of biological interactions have lead to a greater appreciation for the need to design tissue engineering scaffolds that incorporate mimetics of key extracellular matrix components. A variety of synthetic and semisynthetic molecules and polymers have been examined by tissue engineers that serve as structural, chemical and biological replacements for proteoglycans. These proteoglycan mimetics have been referred to as neoproteoglycans and serve as functional and therapeutic replacements for natural proteoglycans that are often unavailable for tissue engineering studies. Although neoproteoglycans have important limitations, such as limited signaling ability and biocompatibility, they have shown promise in replacing the natural activity of proteoglycans through cell and protein binding interactions. This review focuses on the recent in vivo and in vitro tissue engineering applications of three basic types of neoproteoglycan structures, protein-glycosaminoglycan conjugates, nano-glycosaminoglycan composites and polymer-glycosaminoglycan complexes. Neoproteoglycans are synthetic glycoconjugates prepared by covalently attaching a glycosaminoglycan chain to a core composed of a nanomaterial, protein, or polymer. The covalent attachment can be made to the reducing end (natural configuration), non-reducing end, or center of the chain. Neoproteoglycans might have applications in tissue engineering applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2511-2522
Number of pages12
JournalFEBS Journal
Volume280
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2013
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • biomedical scaffolds
  • extracellular matrix
  • glycoconjugates
  • glycosaminoglycans
  • growth factors
  • nanocomposites
  • neoproteoglycans
  • proteoglycans
  • regenerative medicine
  • tissue engineering

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