Importance of size and sulfation of heparin in release of basic fibroblast growth factor from the vascular endothelium and extracellular matrix

We have characterized the importance of size, sulfation, and anticoagulant activity of heparin in release of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) from the subendothelial extracellular matrix (ECM) and the luminal surface of the vascular endothelium. For this purpose, 125 I-bFGF was first incubated with ECM and confluent endothelial cell cultures, or administered as a bolus into the blood of rats. The immobilized 125 I-bFGF was then subjected to release by various chemically modified species of heparin and size-homogeneous oligosaccharides derived from depolymerized heparin