title: Low-molecular-weight heparins: differential characterization/physical characterization.
abstract: Low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs), derived from unfractionated heparin (UFH) through different depolymerization processes, have advantages with respect to the parent heparin in terms of pharmacokinetics, convenience of administration, and reduced side effects. Each LMWH can be considered as an independent drug with its own activity profile, placing significance on their biophysical characterization, which will also enable a better understanding of their structure-function relationship. Several chemical and physical methods, some involving sample modification, are now available and are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerche Chimiche e Biochimiche G. Ronzoni, Milan, Italy. guerrini@ronzoni.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guerrini
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bisio
mesh_terms: D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006495:Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight / Q000737:chemistry*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D006495:Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight