Analysis of Heparin Samples by Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in the Solid State
Research article published in ACS central science (2023)
Abstract
Heparin is a polydisperse, heterogeneous polysaccharide of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) class that has found widespread clinical use as a potent anticoagulant and is classified as an essential medicine by the World Health Organization. The importance of rigorous monitoring and quality control of pharmaceutical heparin was highlighted in 2008, when the existing regulatory procedures failed to identify a life-threatening adulteration of pharmaceutical heparin with oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS). The subsequent contamination crisis resulted in the exploration of alternative approaches for which the use of multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy techniques and multivariate analysis emerged as the gold standard. This procedure is, however, technically demanding and requires access to expensive equipment. An alternative approach, utilizing attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) combined with multivariate analysis, has been developed. The method described enables the differentiation of diverse GAG samples, the classification of samples of distinct species provenance, and the detection of both established heparin contaminants and alien polysaccharides. This methodology has sensitivity comparable to that of NMR and can facilitate the rapid, cost-effective monitoring and analysis of pharmaceutical heparin. It is therefore suitable for future deployment throughout the supply chain.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
Heparin is a polydisperse, heterogeneous polysaccharide of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) class that has found widespread clinical use as a potent anticoagulant and is classified as an essential medicine by the World Health Organization.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este artículo describe un método analítico que emplea espectroscopía infrarroja por transformada de Fourier con reflectancia total atenuada, combinada con análisis multivariante, para el control de calidad de la heparina farmacéutica, incluyendo la diferenciación de muestras de glucosaminoglucanos, la clasificación del origen por especie y la detección de contaminantes tales como el sulfato de condroitina sobresulfatado. El método se presenta como una alternativa rentable a la RMN con sensibilidad comparable. El tema es la heparina, un anticoagulante de uso clínico no relacionado con las sanguijuelas, y el resumen no contiene mención alguna de la hirudina, las sanguijuelas ni la hirudoterapia. Por lo tanto, no existe una relevancia defendible para el ámbito de ASH relacionado con la hirudoterapia o el secretoma de la sanguijuela; el artículo se incluye únicamente por motivos de exhaustividad.
Citación
Analysis of Heparin Samples by Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in the Solid State
Devlin AJ et al. · ACS central science, 2023
Contexto clínico relacionado
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 27, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: 18 de junio de 2026