Table 4.

List of the 11 heparin attributes that can be quantified by both the SAX-HPLC and HSQC methods, combining information from the single, raw, data.

GlcNS	Regular structure	Content of N-sulfated glucosamine
GlcNAc	Regular structure	Content of N-acetylated glucosamine
GlcNx,6S	Regular structure	Content of glucosamine with a sulfate in position 6
GlcNS,3S,6x	Regular structure	Content of a N-sulfated glucosamine with an additional sulfate in position 3
GlcA- GlcNS,3S,6x	Regular structure	Content of a disaccharide made up of a glucuronic acid and a glucosamine with an additional sulfate in position 3 (GlcA-GlcNS,3S,6x, typical of the “pentasaccharide” feature)
GlcNH2	Process signature	Content of glucosamine, non N-sulfated, non N-acetylated; N-desulfation due to pH and thermal stresses. Possible natural marker of an incomplete biosynthesis
IdoA,2S	Regular structure	Content of iduronic acid with a sulfate in position 2
GalA	Process signature	Content of L-galacturonic acid, due to the 2-O-desulfation of iduronic acid and the following opening of the epoxide, with inversion of configuration
Epox	Process signature	Content of uronic acid with residual epoxide in C2-C3, not opened by further steps of heparin processes
Linkage region (LR)	Mixed information	The SAX-HPLC method identifies only two major species: “native” LR and one oxidized species; the HSQC method detects all glucuronic acids linked to a galactose, i.e., all “native” and oxidized species