Hyaluronan Tetrasaccharide Research Articles

Identification and Characterization of a Highly Active Hyaluronan Lyase from Enterobacter asburiae.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a well-known functional marine polysaccharide. The utilization and derivative development of HA are of great interest. Hyaluronan lyase has wide application prospects in the production of HA oligosaccharides and lower molecular weight HA. In this study, a strain of Enterobacter asburiae CGJ001 with high hyaluronan lyase activity was screened from industrial wastewater. This strain exhibited an impressive enzyme activity of 40,576 U/mL after being incubated for 14 h. Whole genome sequencing analysis revealed that E. asburiae CGJ001 contained a cluster of genes involved in HA degradation, transport, and metabolism. A newly identified enzyme responsible for glycosaminoglycan degradation was designated as HylEP0006. A strain of E. coli BL21(DE3)/pET-22b(+)-hylEP0006 was successfully constructed. HylEP0006 exhibited optimal degradation at 40 °C and pH 7.0, showing a high activity of 950,168.3 U/mg. HylEP0006 showed specific activity against HA. The minimum degradation fragment of HylEP0006 was hyaluronan tetrasaccharides, and HylEP0006 could efficiently degrade HA into unsaturated disaccharides (HA2), with HA2 as the final product. These characteristics indicate that HylEP0006 has a potential application prospect for the extraction and utilization of hyaluronic acid.

Dimerization and Crowding in the Binding of Interleukin 8 to Dendritic Glycosaminoglycans as Artificial Proteoglycans.

The interactions of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) with proteins of the extracellular matrix govern and regulate complex physiological functions including cellular growth, immune response, and inflammation. Repetitive presentation of GAG binding motifs, as found in native proteoglycans, might enhance GAG-protein binding through multivalent interactions. Here, we report the chemical synthesis of dendritic GAG oligomers constructed of nonasulfated hyaluronan tetrasaccharides for investigating the binding of the protein chemokine interleukin 8 (IL-8) to artificial, well-defined proteoglycan architectures. Binding of mutant monomeric and native dimerizable IL-8 was investigated by NMR spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry. Dendritic oligomerization of GAG increased the binding affinity of both monomeric and dimeric IL-8. Monomeric IL-8 bound to monomeric and dimeric GAG with KD values of 7.3 and 0.108 μM, respectively. The effect was less pronounced for dimerizable wild-type IL-8, for which GAG dimerization improved the affinity from 34 to 5 nM. Binding of dimeric IL-8 to oligomeric GAG was limited by steric crowding effects, strongly reducing the affinity of subsequent binding events. In conclusion, the strongest effect of GAG oligomerization was the amplified binding of IL-8 monomers, which might concentrate monomeric protein in the extracellular matrix and thus promote protein dimerization under physiological conditions.

Sulfated modification of hyaluronan tetrasaccharide enhances its antitumor activity on human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells in vitro and in vivo

Hyaluronan (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan polymer involved in cell phenotype change, inflammation modulation, and tumor metastasis progression. HA oligosaccharides have a higher solubility and drug-forming ability than polysaccharides. HA tetrasaccharide was reported as the smallest fragment required for inhibiting triple-negative breast cancer, but the anti-tumor activity of HA tetrasaccharide (HA4) and its sulfated derivatives in lung cancer is still unknown. In this study, HA4 was prepared via HA degradation by chondroitinase ABC (CSABC), while its sulfated derivatives were prepared by sulfur pyridine trioxide complex in N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Then, the anti-tumor activity was detected via MTT assay and xenograft tumor experiments, while the expression level change of apoptosis genes was analyzed by qRT-PCR. Electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis showed several HA4 sulfated derivatives, GlcA2GlcNAc2 (SO3H)n contains 0–6 sulfation groups, which mainly contain 3–6, 2–3, and 0–1 sulfation groups were classified as HA4S1, HA4S2, and HA4S3, respectively. After the addition of 1.82 mg/mL HA4, HA4S1, HA4S2, and HA4S3, the cell viability of A549 cells was reduced to 81.2 %, 62.1 %, 50.3 %, and 65.9 %, respectively. Thus, HA4S2 was chosen for further measurement, the qRT-PCR results showed it significantly up-regulated the expression of genes in the apoptosis pathway. Moreover, HA4S2 exhibited stronger antitumor activity than HA4 in vivo and the tumor inhibition rate reached 36.90 %. In summary, this study indicated that the CSABC enzyme could effectively degrade HA into oligosaccharides, and sulfation modification was an effective method to enhance the antitumor activity of HA tetrasaccharides.

Sulfated Hyaluronan Binds to Heparanase and Blocks Its Enzymatic and Cellular Actions in Carcinoma Cells.

We examined whether sulfated hyaluronan exerts inhibitory effects on enzymatic and biological actions of heparanase, a sole endo-beta-glucuronidase implicated in cancer malignancy and inflammation. Degradation of heparan sulfate by human and mouse heparanase was inhibited by sulfated hyaluronan. In particular, high-sulfated hyaluronan modified with approximately 2.5 sulfate groups per disaccharide unit effectively inhibited the enzymatic activity at a lower concentration than heparin. Human and mouse heparanase bound to immobilized sulfated hyaluronan. Invasion of heparanase-positive colon-26 cells and 4T1 cells under 3D culture conditions was significantly suppressed in the presence of high-sulfated hyaluronan. Heparanase-induced release of CCL2 from colon-26 cells was suppressed in the presence of sulfated hyaluronan via blocking of cell surface binding and subsequent intracellular NF-κB-dependent signaling. The inhibitory effect of sulfated hyaluronan is likely due to competitive binding to the heparanase molecule, which antagonizes the heparanase-substrate interaction. Fragment molecular orbital calculation revealed a strong binding of sulfated hyaluronan tetrasaccharide to the heparanase molecule based on electrostatic interactions, particularly characterized by interactions of (−1)- and (−2)-positioned sulfated sugar residues with basic amino acid residues composing the heparin-binding domain-1 of heparanase. These results propose a relevance for sulfated hyaluronan in the blocking of heparanase-mediated enzymatic and cellular actions.

Structural insights into the modulation of PDGF/PDGFR-β complexation by hyaluronan derivatives.

Angiogenesis is an important physiological process playing a crucial role in wound healing and cancer progression. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) are key players in angiogenesis. Based on previous findings regarding the modulation of VEGF activity by glycosaminoglycans (GAG), here we explore the interaction of hyaluronan (HA)-based GAG with PDGF and its receptor PDGFR-β by applying molecular modeling and dynamics simulations in combination with surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Computational analysis on the interaction of oligo-hyaluronan derivatives with different sulfation pattern and functionalization shows that these GAG interact with PDGF in relevant regions for receptor recognition, and that high sulfation as well as modification with the TAMRA group convey stronger binding. On the other hand, the studied oligo-hyaluronan derivatives are predicted to scarcely recognize PDGFR-β. SPR results are in line with the computational predictions regarding the binding pattern of HA tetrasaccharide (HA4) derivatives to PDGF and PDGFR-β. Furthermore, our experimental results also show that the complexation of PDGF to PDGFR-β can be modulated by HA4 derivatives. The results found open the path for considering HA4 derivatives as potential candidates to be exploited for modulation of the PDGF/PDGFR-β signaling system in angiogenesis and related disease conditions.

Construction of Hyaluronic Tetrasaccharide Clusters Modified Polyamidoamine siRNA Delivery System.

The CD44 protein, as a predominant receptor for hyaluronan (HA), is highly expressed on the surface of multiple tumor cells. HA, as a targeting molecule for a CD44-contained delivery system, increases intracellular drug concentration in tumor tissue. However, due to the weak binding ability of hyaluronan oligosaccharide to CD44, targeting for tumor drug delivery has been restricted. In this study, we first use a HA tetrasaccharide cluster as the target ligand to enhance the binding ability to CD44. A polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer was modified by a HA tetrasaccharide cluster as a nonviral vector for small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery. The dendrimer/siRNA nanocomplexes increased the cellular uptake capacity of siRNA through the CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis pathway, allowing the siRNA to successfully escape the endosome/lysosome. Compared with the control group, nanocomplexes effectively reduced the expression of GFP protein and mRNA in MDA-MB-231-GFP cells. This delivery system provides a foundation to increase the clinical applications of PAMAM nanomaterials.

Synthesis of structure-defined branched hyaluronan tetrasaccharide glycoclusters

Abstract Hyaluronan is a glycosaminoglycan with a large number of biological activity. Hyaluronan of different molecular weight often shows different biological activity, sometimes even completely opposite, but the mechanism is not clear. Herein, the hyaluronan tetrasaccharide glycoclusters using hyaluronan tetrasaccharide obtained by enzymolysis of natural hyaluronan were firstly synthesized in high yield. The structurally determined and diverse glycoclusters were of wide molecular weight range and might be used for mimicking the biological activity of natural hyaluronan and facilitating the mechanism study.

Transdermal Delivery of Hyaluronan Tetrasaccharide by Constant Current Iontophoresis

Ascorbic Acid 2-Glucoside (AA2G), l-ascorbic acid derivatives, is provided whitening, anti-oxidation effect and more stable in physicochemical properties. AA2G used in the cosmetic industrial area, however, it hydrophilic character caused lower ability across stratum corneum to the skin, the whitening effect was limited. A microemulsions is the best choice in the study due to the scale up easily in the cosmetic industrial. We aim to optimized microemulsion formulation which easily preparation and stabilized in the cosmetic industrial and enhance the penetration ability into skin simultaneous remain lightening effect. AA2G microemulsion was prepared archive approximately 150 nm. The results showed that the AA2G microemulsion has powerful permeation ability and high skin deposition when compared with the AA2G aqueous control solution and the commercial emulsion product (p<0.05). In human study demonstrated that AA2G microemulsion group could archived lightening (c*) and colorful (e*) by colormery evaluation. The results support that AA2G microemulsion as a potential carrier application in the cosmetic industrial.

Transdermal Delivery of Hyaluronan Tetrasaccharide by Constant Current Iontophoresis

It is well known that scars, wrinkles, and intra articular diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis can be healed by injecting hyaluronan (HA) into the skin and joints. However, based on its varying molecular size, skin penetration of HA may be limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of transdermal enhancements such as electroporation (EP) and iontophoresis (IP) on the in vitro skin permeability of HA tetrasaccharide (HA4) to deliver HA4 into skin effectively. The effects of EP and IP on the skin permeation of HA4 were studied in in vitro skin permeation experiments. Cumulative amounts of HA4 through full-thickness skin after 6 h were 0.3 μg/cm2 for passive diffusion, 2.3 μg/cm2 after application of EP (100 V, 10 ms, 50 times), 2310.7 μg/cm2 after application of IP (cathodal IP, 0.1 mA/cm2), and 797.9 μg/cm2 after application of IP (cathodal IP, 0.05 mA/cm2), respectively. The skin permeability of the IP (cathodal IP, 0.1 mA/cm2) treatment was about 7700 and 1000-fold increased than that of passive diffusion and the EP treatment. The cumulative amount of HA4 through stripped skin after 6 h was 1384.3 μg/cm2 for passive diffusion. The skin permeability of the cathodal IP (full-thickness skin, 0.05 mA/cm2) treatment was about 1.7-fold increased than that of passive diffusion (stripped skin). We showed that cathodal IP is useful for delivering HA4 into skin effectively.

Suppression of Ischemia-Induced Hippocampal Pyramidal Neuron Death by Hyaluronan Tetrasaccharide through Inhibition of Toll-Like Receptor 2 Signaling Pathway

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are one of the main contributors that induce inflammation under tissue injury and infection. Because excessive inflammation can aggravate disease states, it is important to control inflammation at a moderate level. Herein, we show that hyaluronan (HA) oligomer, HA tetrasaccharide (HA4), could suppress the expression of proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β when stimulated with both TLR2- and TLR4-specific agonists in primary hippocampal neurons. To understand the effect of HA4 against ischemic insult, we performed hypoxic-ischemic (H/I) brain injury against neonatal mice. HA4 treatment significantly prevented hippocampal pyramidal cell death even 7 days after H/I injury, compared with the control mice. Although TLR2 and TLR4 are known as receptors for HA and also act as a receptor for inducing inflammation, only TLR2-deficient mice showed tolerance against H/I injury. Moreover, HA4 administration suppressed gliosis by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB, the downstream target of TLR2, which led to the suppression of IL-1β expression. Taken together, our data suggest that the neuroprotective effect of HA4 relies on antagonizing the TLR2/NF-κB pathway to reduce inflammation through suppressing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines after neonatal H/I brain injury.

Characterisation of separated end hyaluronan oligosaccharides from leech hyaluronidase and evaluation of angiogenesis

Hyaluronan oligosaccharides (o-HAs), especially saturated o-HAs, have attracted intensive attention due to their potential applications in medical treatments. In this study, the hydrolysis process of leech hyaluronidase (LHase) towards the hyaluronan was investigated by HPLC and HPLC/ESI–MS. The proportions of hyaluronan tetrasaccharide (HA4) with hexasaccharide (HA6), end products, were illustrated to have a relationship with the amount of LHase. Higher yield of HA4 was achieved with higher activity of LHase. After optimisation of the packing resin and operation parameters (balanced pH, elution concentration, elution volume and elution flow rate), the highly pure HA4 and HA6 were efficiently separated and prepared by combining ion exchange Q-Sepharose Fast Flow and size exclusion column chromatography. Compared with o-HAs (average Mr of 4000Da), HA4 and HA6 were demonstrated to show higher activity for promoting angiogenesis, which was similar with the corresponding HA4 and HA6 produced by bovine testicular hyaluronidase. The pure HA4 and HA6 that prepared from LHase will attract intensive studies and be used in potential applications in near future.

Hyaluronan tetrasaccharides stimulate ceramide production through upregulated mRNA expression of ceramide synthesis-associated enzymes.

It has been reported that hyaluronan has different physiological functions as suggested by variation in molecular weight. In addition, it has also been reported that CD44, the major hyaluronan receptor, was demonstrated to induce keratinocyte differentiation and lipid synthesis of cholesterol. We focus attention on the hyaluronan tetrasaccharides (HA4) which is the smallest unit of hyaluronan. We previously reported that HA4 induced keratinocyte differentiation and that CD44 may be involved. For the purpose of clarifying the influence of HA4 on ceramide synthesis, we evaluated both of these factors in keratinocytes in vitro and in vivo. The mRNA expression of ceramide synthesis-associated enzymes and intracellular ceramide content were evaluated after HA4 treatment in normal human epidermal keratinocytes. In addition, the ceramide increasing effect of HA4 on skin in UVA-irradiated hairless mice was assessed by water content of stratum corneum (SC) and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) methods. The mRNA expression of ceramide synthesis-associated enzymes and intracellular ceramide content after HA4 treatment were increased compared with the control. Furthermore, HA4 treatment increased water content of SC and decreased TEWL. These findings suggest that HA4 affected ceramide synthesis and is involved in the improvement of UV-induced skin damage.

Design and syntheses of hyaluronan oligosaccharide conjugates as inhibitors of CD44-Hyaluronan binding.

Hyaluronan (HA) is an integral component of the extracellular matrix. Its interactions with a cell surface receptor CD44 has been shown to play important roles in a variety of biological events including cell proliferation and metastasis. As multivalent CD44-HA binding is critical for downstream signaling, compounds that can selectively disrupt the complex formation of HA polysaccharide with CD44 can serve as useful probes of CD44 mediated cellular events as well as potential leads for novel therapeutics. Herein, we report the synthesis of several series of HA conjugates to target the HA binding pocket of CD44. As a small library of HA disaccharide derivatives failed to exhibit any inhibitory activities, we focused on HA tetrasaccharide based analogs. Traditional synthetic strategies towards HA oligosaccharides involve the construction of backbone from the corresponding monosaccharide building blocks, which can be quite tedious. In order to expedite the synthesis, we designed a new synthetic route taking advantage of the ability of hyaluronidase to generate large quantities of HA tetrasaccharide through digestion of HA polysaccharides. The HA tetrasaccharide obtained was utilized to prepare multiple S-linked HA analogs bearing aromatic groups at the reducing end glycan. One such compound containing an m-benzyl phenyl moiety exhibited significant inhibition of CD44-HA binding. Our approach provides a new direction towards the design of HA based CD44 antagonists.

Hyaluronan tetrasaccharide exerts neuroprotective effect and promotes functional recovery after acute spinal cord injury in rats.

The objective of this study was to explore the therapeutic efficiency of hyaluronan tetrasaccharide (HA4) treatment after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats and to investigate the underlying mechanism. Locomotor functional and electrophysiological evaluations revealed that the behavioral function of rats in the HA4-treated group was significantly improved compared with the vehicle-treated group. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), cluster determinant (CD44) and Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) was obviously upregulated in the HA4-treated group than that in the sham and vehicle-treated group. Furthermore, HA4 could induce BDNF and VEGF expression in the astrocytes in vitro. In addition, the high expression of BDNF and VEGF could be inhibited by blocking CD44 and TLR-4. These findings indicate that HA4 could be useful as a promising therapeutic agent for SCI and might exert the effect by interaction with the CD44 and TLR-4.

Expression of Hyaluronan Synthase and Collagen Type I mRNA by Hyaluronan Tetrasaccharides in Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts

The major compounds in the dermis are hyaluronan and type I collagen, which decrease with aging, UV and various other factors. The loss of hyaluronan and collagen with aging is associated with increased dehydration and wrinkling of the skin. We aimed to investigate the influence of hyaluronan tetrasaccharide (HA4) on regulation of high molecular weight hyaluronan (HA) and collagen synthesis in normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs). Expression of hyaluronan synthase (HAS) 1–3 and collagen (COL) 1A1 mRNA were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR. HAS1 mRNA expression was found to be increased in NHDFs treated with HA and HA4. In addition, it was observed that NHDFs co-cultured with normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) showed up-regulation of HAS1 mRNA expression, as compared with NHDFs single cell culture treated with HA4. Treatment of NHDFs with HA4 + derivatized vitamin C (VC-PMg) significantly increased COL1A1 mRNA expression. In this study, we confirmed that HA4 affected HAS1 and COL1A1 mRNA expression; thus, HA4 application may show various action in skin.

Fragment-Based Identification of an Inducible Binding Site on Cell Surface Receptor CD44 for the Design of Protein–Carbohydrate Interaction Inhibitors

Selective inhibitors of hyaluronan (HA) binding to the cell surface receptor CD44 will have value as probes of CD44-mediated signaling and have potential as therapeutic agents in chronic inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Using biophysical binding assays, fragment screening, and crystallographic characterization of complexes with the CD44 HA binding domain, we have discovered an inducible pocket adjacent to the HA binding groove into which small molecules may bind. Iterations of fragment combination and structure-driven design have allowed identification of a series of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines as the first nonglycosidic inhibitors of the CD44-HA interaction. The affinity of these molecules for the CD44 HA binding domain parallels their ability to interfere with CD44 binding to polymeric HA in vitro. X-ray crystallographic complexes of lead compounds are described and compared to a new complex with a short HA tetrasaccharide, to establish the tetrahydroisoquinoline pharmacophore as an attractive starting point for lead optimization.

Hyaluronan digestion controls DC migration from the skin

The breakdown and release of hyaluronan (HA) from the extracellular matrix has been hypothesized to act as an endogenous signal of injury. To test this hypothesis, we generated mice that conditionally overexpressed human hyaluronidase 1 (HYAL1). Mice expressing HYAL1 in skin either during early development or by inducible transient expression exhibited extensive HA degradation, yet displayed no evidence of spontaneous inflammation. Further, HYAL1 expression activated migration and promoted loss of DCs from the skin. We subsequently determined that induction of HYAL1 expression prior to topical antigen application resulted in a lack of an antigenic response due to the depletion of DCs from the skin. In contrast, induction of HYAL1 expression concurrent with antigen exposure accelerated allergic sensitization. Administration of HA tetrasaccharides, before or simultaneously with antigen application, recapitulated phenotypes observed in HYAL1-expressing animals, suggesting that the generation of small HA fragments, rather than the loss of large HA molecules, promotes DC migration and subsequent modification of allergic responses. Furthermore, mice lacking TLR4 did not exhibit HA-associated phenotypes, indicating that TLR4 mediates these responses. This study provides direct evidence that HA breakdown controls the capacity of the skin to present antigen. These events may influence DC function in injury or disease and have potential to be exploited therapeutically for modification of allergic responses.

Effect of hyaluronan tetrasaccharides on epidermal differentiation in normal human epidermal keratinocytes

Hyaluronan (HA) plays a role in keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation. In addition, HA has been shown to have different biological activities depending on its molecular weight. It has been reported that HA-mediated CD44 activation regulates keratinocyte differentiation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of HA tetrasaccharides (HA4) on the regulation of keratinocyte differentiation, CD44 gene expression and CD44-phosphorylated protein in human keratinocytes, and compare HA4 with high molecular weight HA. Normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) were treated at doses of 1μgmL(-1) HA or HA oligosaccharides (HA4). After treatment, cell viability was checked using an MTT (3-(4,5-di-methylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Each differentiation marker and CD44 mRNA expression was detected by real-time PCR. Each differentiation marker and CD44-phosphorylated protein was assessed by Western blotting. Hyaluronan and HA4 showed no cytotoxicity up to a dose of 1μgmL(-1) . On day 3 after HA4 treatment, each differentiation marker mRNA and K10 protein level was higher than that of the control. On day 9, late differentiation marker mRNA and protein levels were increased with HA and HA4 treatment. In addition, HA4 treatment increased the expression of CD44 mRNA, CD44-phosphorylated protein and intracellular calcium concentrations. HA4 enhanced keratinocyte differentiation and increased CD44-phosphorylated protein levels. HA4 may induce epidermal differentiation through phosphorylation of CD44.

Catalytic Mechanism of Hyaluronate Lyase from Spectrococcus pneumonia: Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical and Density Functional Theory Studies

Hyaluronate lyase from Spectrococcus pneumonia can degrade hyaluronic acid, which is one of the major components in the extracellular matrix. The major functions of hyaluronan are to regulate water balance and osmotic pressure and act as an ion-exchange resin. It has been suggested in our previous molecular dynamics simulation that the binding of the substrate molecule could lead to the ionization of Y408 and protonation of H399. Followed by our recent molecular dynamics simulation of the enzyme-substrate complex, a unified proton abstraction and donation mechanism for this enzyme can be established using a combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical approach and density functional theory method. Y408 is shown to serve as the general base in the proton abstraction, while general acid is the next proton donation step. Overall, this reaction can be classified into syn-elimination reaction mechanism. The neutralization effects of C5 carboxylate group by several polar residues such as N349 and H399 were also examined. Finally, in combination of our previous molecular dynamics simulations, a complete catalytic cycle for the degradation of hyaluronan tetrasaccharide catalyzed by the hyaluronate lyase from Spectrococcus pneumonia is proposed.

Effect of hyaluronan tetrasaccharides on epidermal differentiation and skin barrier function

Effect of hyaluronan tetrasaccharides on epidermal differentiation and skin barrier function