Evidence of random structural features in the heparin polymer.

The first use of computer-simulation studies to examine heparin's structure has been reported. The product distributions obtained when porcine mucosal heparins were depolymerized with heparinase have been compared to computer-simulated distributions. The modeled distribution was relatively unaffected by the polydispersity and molecular weight of heparin. However, the percent of heparinase-cleavable glycosidic linkages and their distribution throughout the polymer resulted in a marked change in the simulated product distribution. The similarity between experimentally observed and computer-simulated product distributions is consistent with the random distribution of heparinase-cleavable sites in porcine mucosal heparin. Finally, a random distribution of N-acetyl residues with respect to heparinase-cleavable sites was experimentally observed.