“…Another possibility is that the sulphated glycosaminoglycans actually bind ؒ OH-promoting iron and copper ions via their sulphate groups, thereby preventing these ions from enhancing ؒ OH production and glycosaminoglycan chain degradation (Grant et al, 1992a(Grant et al, , 1992bWilliamson et al, 1992). Indeed, numerous studies now recognise heparin and other sulphated glycosaminoglycans as potent antioxidants (Albertini et al, 1995(Albertini et al, , 1996a(Albertini et al, , 1996b(Albertini et al, , 1997Grant et al, 1996). The opposite is true for hyaluronan and heparin exposed to NO ؒ , with heparin being more susceptible to degradation than hyaluronan, since the amino groups of Nacetylglucosamine residues in hyaluronan are blocked by N-acetyl groups, rendering these regions resistant to NO ؒ breakdown.…”