title: Non-anticoagulant derivatives of heparin for the management of asthma: distant dream or close reality?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Approximately 300 million people worldwide are currently affected by asthma. Improvements in the understanding of the mechanisms involved in such inflammatory airway disorders has led to the recognition of new therapeutic approaches. Heparin, a widely used anticoagulant, has been shown to be beneficial in the management of asthma. It belongs to the family of highly sulphated polysaccharides referred to as glycosaminoglycans, containing a heterogeneous mixture of both anticoagulant and non-anticoagulant polysaccharides. Experimental findings have suggested that heparin has potential anti-asthmatic properties owing to the ability of its non-anticoagulant oligosaccharides to bind and modulate the activity of a wide range of biological molecules involved in the inflammatory process.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review focuses on the potential mechanisms of action and clinical application of heparin as an anti-inflammatory agent for the management of asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Heparin may play a significant role in the management of asthma. However, these properties are often hindered by the presence of anticoagulant oligosaccharides, which possess a significant risk of bleeding. Therefore, its therapeutic potential must be explored using well-designed clinical studies that focus on identifying and isolating the anti-inflammatory oligosaccharides of heparin and further elucidating the structure and mechanisms of actions of these non-anticoagulant oligosaccharides.
authors.affiliation: University of Tasmania, School of Pharmacy , Private Bag 26, Hobart, Tasmania , Australia +61 3 6226 1079 ; +61 3 6226 2870 ; Rahul.Patel@utas.edu.au.
authors.forename: Madhur D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Shastri
authors.forename: Gregory M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Niall
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Sukhwinder Singh
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Sohal
authors.forename: Rahul P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006493:Heparin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D006493:Heparin