Planta Med 2005; 71(4): 379-381
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-864110
Letter
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

A Xylogalactofucan from the Brown Seaweed Spatoglossum schröederi Stimulates the Synthesis of an Antithrombotic Heparan Sulfate from Endothelial Cells

Hugo Alexandre de Oliveira Rocha1 , 2 , Luana Cristina Lins de Medeiros Bezerra2 , Ivan Rui Lopes de Albuquerque2 , Leandro Silva Costa2 , Celina Maria Pinto Guerra1 , Luiz Diz de Abreu1 , Helena Bonciani Nader3 , Edda Lisboa Leite1 , 2
  • 1Laboratório de Glicobiologia, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Rio Grande do Norte-UFRN, Natal-RN, Brazil
  • 2Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Polímeros Naturais, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Rio Grande do Norte-UFRN, Natal-RN, Brazil
  • 3Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo-UNIFESP, São Paulo-SP, Brazil
Further Information

Publication History

Received: August 13, 2004

Accepted: January 6, 2005

Publication Date:
27 April 2005 (online)

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Abstract

The brown seaweed Spatoglossum schröederi (Dictyotaceae) contains three main fucans (fucans A, B and C) with different mobility in electrophoresis. The fucan with highest mobility (fucan C) was precipitated with 2.0 volumes of acetone, purified using a combination of ion exchange chromatography and electrophoresis. It showed an MW of 24 kDa determined by HPLC and Sephadex G-75 chromatography and migrates as a single band in three distinct electrophoretic systems. This fucan contains fucose, xylose, galactose and sulfate in a molar ratio 1 : 0.6 : 2:2.3. The fucan has neither anticoagulant (from 10 to 100 μg) nor hemorrhagic activities (100 μg/mL). In addition, fucan C is neither cytotoxic nor cytostatic. However, fucan C (100 μg/mL) stimulated the synthesis of an antithrombotic heparan sulfate from endothelial cells of rabbit aorta. The results suggest that fucan C might be used as an antithrombotic therapeutic compound.

References

Hugo Alexande de Oliveira Rocha

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Centro de Biociências

Departamento de Bioquímica

Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Polímeros Naturais

Av. Salgado Filho S/N

Natal - RN 59097-570

Brazil

Phone: +55-84-211-9208

Fax: +55-84-211-9208

Email: hugo-alexandre@uol.com.br