Synthesis and Evaluation of Biomimetic, Heparan Sulfate-Functionalized Glycopolymers for Selective Protein Binding

The bottlebrush presentation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) on polypeptides enhances protein interactions and is crucial for optimal function. Heparan sulfate (HS), a complex GAG involved in blood clotting and wound healing, exhibits significant structural heterogeneity due to varying sulfation patterns. While many studies have examined the effects of HS sequence variation on protein interactions, few have focused on multivalency as an isolated variable. We synthesized HS-functionalized glycopolymers and evaluated their interactions with clotting factors (FXa, FIIa) and growth factor (FGF10). Our findings show that multivalent HS mimics facilitate FGF10 binding without affecting clotting, informing the design of future HS-based biomedical materials.