Sulfated Polysaccharides and a Synthetic Sulfated Polymer Are Potent Inhibitors of Chlamydia trachomatis Infectivity In Vitro but Lack Protective Efficacy in an In Vivo Murine Model of Chlamydial Genital Tract Infection

Heparin, dextran sulfate, pentosan polysulfate, and a sulfated synthetic copolymer of acrylic acid and vinyl alcohol were shown to be potent inhibitors of Chlamydia trachomatis infectivity for cultured human epithelial cells. Despite their potent antichlamydial activity in vitro, neither heparin nor dextran sulfate was effective in inhibiting the infectivity of C. trachomatis in a murine model of chlamydial infection of the female genital tract.