Pentosan polysulphate

Pentosan Polysulfate (or "PPS") is a sulfated chain of linked xylose sugars.

It has been used since the 1960s as an anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory. It is cheap, being made by the action of sulfuric acid on beechwood chippings.

Heparan sulfate

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a linear polysaccharide found in all animal tissues. PPS is a synthetic form of HS. Its appearance is in the form of a proteoglycan (PG) in which two or three HS chains are attached in close proximity to cell suface or extracellular matrix proteins.

Recently it has gained attention as possibly being effective in the treatment of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), although there is as yet no definitive evidence for this other than results of the ongoing treatment (published) of one patient in Northern Ireland and around six other patients in mainland Britain .

Around 20 other patients in non-UK countries have also received this treatment in an attempt to halt or slow down CJD and related disease progression.

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