Binding of magnesium and lanthanum ions to heparin in the presence of sodium ions. A relationship between 13C chemical shift displacements and counterion condensation theory
Interactions between beef lung heparin and Mg2+ and La3+ counterions, in the presence of sodium ions, have been investigated by 13C-nmr spectroscopy. The chemical shift displacements observed for the carbons of the main disaccharide unit of heparin, when analysed on the basis of counterion condensation theory, indicate that the association between the heparin polyanion and Mg2+ is a delocalized process. This is analogous to the Ca2+/Na+/heparin system, despite the fact that the binding affinity of heparin for Ca2+ is stronger than that for Mg2+. By contrast, the interaction with La3+ is in excess of the theoretical predicted, which suggests that there is at least a partial site-binding of this counterion. In Ca2+/M+/heparin systems in which M+ = Na+ or K+, the selective binding preference of heparin for the univalent cations may be related to the order of their crystallographic ionic radii. A critical assessment is offered of the validity of this nmr spectroscopic approach to the study of counterion binding to heparin.