Investigation of the Amide Proton Solvent Exchange Properties of Glycosaminoglycan Oligosaccharides.

One-dimensional 1H NMR experiments were conducted for aqueous solutions of glycosaminoglycan oligosaccharides to measure the amide proton temperature coefficients and activation energy barriers for solvent exchange and evaluate the effect of pH on the solvent exchange properties. A library of mono- and oligosaccharides was prepared by enzymatic depolymerization of amide-containing polysaccharides and by chemical modification of heparin and heparan sulfate saccharides including members that contain a 3- O-sulfated glucosamine residue. The systematic evaluation of this saccharide library facilitated assessment of the effects of structural characteristics, such as size, sulfation number and site, and glycosidic linkage, on amide proton solvent exchange rates. Charge repulsion by neighboring negatively charged sulfate and carboxylate groups was found to have a significant impact on the catalysis of amide proton solvent exchange by hydroxide. This observation leads to the conclusion that solvent exchange rates must be interpreted within the context of a given chemical environment. On their own, slow exchange rates do not conclusively establish the involvement of a labile proton in a hydrogen bond, and additional supporting experimental evidence such as reduced temperature coefficients is required.