Glycosaminoglycans Sulfation Pattern Governs Heavy Metal Ions Electrochemical Sensing

Sulfated saccharides are extracellular components that interact with many partners in an ion-rich environment. Although not well studies, the sulfation pattern of these saccharides may influence their interactions with metal ions and with other binding partners. This suggests that saccharides with a defined sulfation patternmay be used for designing unique nano materials and sensing devices with distinctive selectivity and functionality. We used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) to elucidate the selective binding of differently sulfated oligohyaluronan nanometric monolayers to the heavy metal ions cadmium, lead and mercury. We showed that the sulfation pattern governs the ion binding preferences of saccharide modified nanometric monolayers. This work demonstrated the potential of using nanolayers of sulfated oligosaccharide to control surface properties and sensing. This proved that sulfated saccharides nanolayers may provide selective metal ions sensing in an ion reach environment hence can be used for both environmental and medical related applications.