The structural microheterogeneity of heparin is predominantly biosynthetically imprinted in the Golgi. However, subsequent steps involved in the purification and manufacture of commercial heparin can lead to the introduction of additional modifications. Post heparin crisis of 2008, it has become increasingly important to identify what additional structural diversity is introduced in heparin as a function of the manufacturing process, and thus can be determined as being heparin-related, as opposed to being an adulterant or contaminant e.g. oversulfated chondroitin sulfate. This talk will highlight two examples of process-related modifications introduced in heparin, and how a combination of high-resolution analytical approaches was used to arrive at the structure of the modifications. The approaches used also highlight the importance of incorporating sensitive, orthogonal analytical methods coupled with an understanding of the process of manufacturing heparin for evaluating heparin preparations.

Characterization of manufacturing process-related modifications in unfractionated heparin

245th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.