Carl Peter Von Dietrich, Brazilian biochemist (São Paulo 23 November 1936 – São Paulo 01 February 2005)
Authored about 250 original works and held about 5,000 citations
ACHIEVEMENTS
Developed new methodologies for the separation and analysis of glycosaminoglycans
Unraveled new metabolic pathways involving glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans
Identified and determined the characteristics of glycosaminoglycans
Proposed biological and pharmacological roles for glycosaminoglycans
Isolated and characterized more than 20 enzymes responsible for glycosaminoglycans degradation
Proposed the basic structure of heparin in With M.E. Silva & Y.M. Michelacci. Sequential degradation of heparin in Flavobacterium heparinum. Purification and properties of five enzymes involved in heparin degradation. J. Biol. Chem. 248: 6408-6846, 1973.
With H.B. Nader first to show that the biological role of heparin differs from pharmacological activity
With H.B. Nader first in the world to discover and prepare low molecular weight heparin (1974)
Distinguished clearly heparin from heparin sulfate showing that they play different biological and pharmacological roles
Proposed a new structure for heparin and heparitin sulfates
Characterized the mechanism of hemorrhagic action of heparin and its prevention in surgeries (found that ATP can dislodge heparin from lesion)
With H.B. Nader, H.V. Garcia Jr. & E. Buffolo proposed employing ATP as antihemorrhagic agent (1994)
A model for cell-cell recognition and control of cell growth mediated by sulfated glycosaminoglycans. Braz. J. Med. Biol. Research 17:5-15, 1984
With J.R.M. Martins & H.B. Nader proposed the diagnosis of cancer via analysis of urinary glycosaminoglycans (1993)
With H.B. Nader & L. Toma proposed differential diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidosis (1996)
Discovered a new mucopolysaccharidosis
Developed/ obtained new heparin-like and other antithrombotic drugs
First to detect the presence of glycosaminoglycans in invertebrate animals
Isolated and characterized enzymes from invertebrates
Isolated heparin-like compounds from marine invertebrates
With G.F. Medeiros & R.A.B. Castro showed that heparan sulfates and heparins perform the same functions in vertebrates and invertebrates (1999) and the widespread occurrence of heparin-like compounds in invertebrates (2000)
Showed the distribution and structural characteristics of sulfated polysaccharides in algae are specific and tissue specific
SYNDROMES
With P.A.S. Mourão, S.A.P. Toledo & H.B. Nader. Excretion of chondroitin sulfate C with low sulfate content by patients with generalized platyspondily (brachyolmia). Biochem. Med. 2:415-23, 1973
With S.A.P. Toledo, P.A.S. Mourão, C.M.F. Cassaro, C.A. Alves, L.M. Assis & E. Mattar. Recessively inherited, late onset, spondylar dysplasia and peripheral corneal opacity with anomalies in the urinary mucopolysaccharides. A possible error of chondroitin sulfate synthesis. Amer. J. Med. Genetics 2:385-95, 1978
METHODS
With W.O. Cruz, J.R. Magalhães & L. De Meis developed isolated rabbit ear method for hemostasis in vivo (1962)
With W.O. Cruz developed topical scarification in rat tail for studying hemostasis in vivo (1967)
With L.B. Jaques, R.E. Baillieux & L.W. Kawanagh. A microelectrophoresis method for heparin. Canad.J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 46:351-60, 1968
With S.M.C. Dietrich. Simple micromethod for the identification of acid mucopolysaccharides of mammalian origin. Anal. Biochem. 46:209-15, 1972
With P. Bianchini, H.B. Nader, H.K. Takahashi, B. Osima & A.H. Straus. Fractionation and identification of heparin and other acidic mucopolysaccharides by a new discontinuous electrophoretic method. J. Chromatography 196:455-62, 1980
With H.K. Takahashi & H.B. Nader. A method for the rapid quantitation and preparation of antithrombin III – high affinity heparin fractions. Anal. Biochem. 116:456-61, 1981
With J.R.M. Martins, C.C. Passerotti, R.M.B. Maciel, L.O. Sampaio & H.B. Nader. Practical determination of hyaluronan by a new non-competitive fluorescence-based assay on serum of normal and cirrhotic patients. Anal. Biochem. 319:65-72, 2003
Continuous sephadex gel electrophoresis fractionation of proteins and mucopolysaccharides. Anal. Biochem. 51:345-53, 1973
INVENTION
With L.O. Sampaio, H.B. Nader & J.R.M. Martins a biochemical method for detection and tracking of neoplasias (1994)
HONOURS
Dietrich’s hyaluronidase, an enzyme from spider Loxosceles intermedia venom