A New Procedure for the Isolation of Anti-HIV Compounds (Polysaccharides and Polyphenols) from the Marine Alga Fucus vesiculosus

Abstract

Anti-HIV-active polysaccharides and polyphenols were isolated from the brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus by hot H2O extraction of both the intact and the homogenized algae. This was followed by XAD2 chromatography and by sequential precipitation of the non-adsorbed compounds with glacial HOAc and thereafter with EtOH. The precipitate was solubilized, dialyzed against distilled H2O, and chromatographed on SP-Sephadex C25 and on QAE-Sephadex A25. This was followed by gel filtration on Sephadex G50 and Sephadex G100 and finally by hplc on a Shodex Ionpak S-804 column. For comparison, the commercial product fucoidan, a sulfated algal polysaccharide, was also further purified by the chromatographic techniques mentioned above. The isolated freeze-dried fractions obtained by these procedures were tested for inhibition of both HIV-induced syncytium formation and HIV reverse transcriptase enzyme activity. Some of these fractions inhibited both of these activities at concentrations that were not cytotoxic.

Antiviral activities of extracts from Hong Kong seaweeds

“…All the six crude extracts in the current screening showed positive results in phenol-sulfuric acid reaction (data not shown), suggesting that the main effective components in these extracts were polysaccharides. As can be found in the literature, a number of polyanionic substances or water-soluble sulfated polysaccharides are potential antiviral agents (Béress et al, 1993;Ponce et al, 2003). It is commonly suggested that these negatively charged molecules disturb the proliferation cycle of enveloped viruses at the early stage, therefore inhibiting the viral infection (Witvrouw and de Clercq, 1997).…”

Herpes simplex Virus-Inhibitory Sulfated Xylogalactans from the Red Seaweed <i>Nothogenia fastigiat</i><i>a</i>

“…Consequently, they can be considered se lective inhibitors of herpesvirus replication. [7,13], whereas other marine-derived polysaccharides were also active against yel low fever virus and retroviruses [14,15].…”

Fucoidan Modulates the Effect of Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-.BETA.1 on Fibroblast Proliferation and Wound Repopulation in in Vitro Models of Dermal Wound Repair

“…Two commercial preparation of fucoidan, "Fucoidan fraction 7" supplied by Calbiochem, San Diego, California 18) termed F7 here, and a cruder preparation of fucoidan from Aberrant wound healing, either causing scarring or chronic wounds, is a significant cause of morbidity. There is therefore, considerable interest in agents which can modulate certain aspects of the wound healing process.…”