Coarse-grained model of glycosaminoglycans in aqueous salt solutions. A field-theoretical approach.

We present results of self-consistent field calculations of thermodynamic and structural properties of glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and heparin) in aqueous solutions with added monovalent and divalent salts. A semiphenomenological coarse-grained model for semiflexible polyelectrolyte chains in solution is proposed. The coarse-grained model permits one to focus on the essential features of these systems and provides significant computational advantages with respect to more detailed models. Our approach relies on the method of Gaussian equivalent representation for the calculation of the partition functions in the form of functional integrals. This method provides reliable thermodynamic information for polyelectrolyte solutions over wide ranges of monomer concentrations. In the present work, we use the comparison and fitting of the experimental osmotic pressure with a theoretical equation of state within the Gaussian equivalent representation. The degrees of ionization, radii of gyration, persistence lengths, and structure factors of chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and heparin in aqueous solutions with added monovalent and divalent salts are calculated and discussed.