Sulfated polysaccharides show a lot of biological activities. There are two kinds of molecules which recognize sulfated polysaccharides. Non-specific recognition of sulfated polysaccharide depends on the degree of sulfation and the molecular weight of the sulfated polysaccharide. On the other hand, the chemical structure of sulfated polysaccharide affects on the specific recognition. In this review, recognition of sulfated polysaccharides is reported, taking the cases of anticoagulant activity, activation of basic fibroblast growth factor, and anti-HIV activity.
Recognition of neutral polysaccharide is relatively weak but more specific. A synthetic approach to a branched polysaccharide, which shows hypoglycaemic activities, is also reviewed.
