Is there a correlation between structure and anticoagulant action of sulfated galactans and sulfated fucans?

Abstract

We attempted to identify the specific structural features in sulfated galactans and sulfated fucans that confer anticoagulant activity. For this study we employed a variety of invertebrate polysaccharides with simple structures composed of well-defined units of oligosaccharides. Our results indicate that a 2-O-sulfated, 3-linked alpha-L-galactan, but not a alpha-L-fucan with a similar molecular size, is a potent thrombin inhibitor mediated by antithrombin or heparin cofactor II. The difference between the activities of these two polysaccharides is not very pronounced when factor Xa replaced thrombin. The occurrence of 2,4-di-O-sulfated units is an amplifying motif for 3-linked alpha-fucan-enhanced thrombin inhibition by antithrombin. If we replace antithrombin by heparin cofactor II, then the major structural requirement for the activity becomes single 4-O-sulfated fucose units. The presence of 2-O-sulfated fucose residues always had a deleterious effect on anticoagulant activity. Overall, our results indicate that the structural requirements for interaction of sulfated galactans and sulfated fucans with coagulation cofactors and their target proteases are stereospecific and not merely a consequence of their charge density and sulfate content.

Characterization and immunomodulatory activities of polysaccharides from Spirogyra neglecta (Hassall) Kützing

“…In the study of other polysaccharides, the structure and physicochemical properties are the major factors affecting the bioactivities of the polysaccharides. 16) Therefore, a basic understanding of both the primary and secondary structures for the SPs may lead to the successful interpretation of their bioactivities. However, despite the abundance and availability of green algae, relatively little studies have been performed on the structural characteristics and the bioactivities of their SPs.…”

Ulvan: A Versatile Platform of Biomaterials from Renewable Resources

“…Heparin, a glycosaminoglycan of animal origin containing carboxylic acid and sulphate groups, has been identified and used for more than fifty years as a commercial anticoagulant and it is widely used for the prevention of venous thromboembolic disorders (Pereira et al, 2002). The heparinoid-like structure of Ulvan makes it also able to provide anticoagulant activity.…”

A carbohydrate-based mechanism of species recognition in sea urchin fertilization

“…We had new sulfated polysaccharides with unique structures extracted from the invertebrate tissues. Of course these findings opened new perspectives, such as studies on the biosynthesis of these unique polysaccharides (20,21), and an interest in their possible effects as modulators of a variety of events, such as coagulation (22)(23)(24)(25), thrombosis (26)(27)(28), proliferation of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells (29), angiogenesis (30), viral infection (31), etc.…”