Structural analysis and anticoagulant activities of two sulfated polysaccharides from the sea cucumber Holothuria coluber

Sulfated polysaccharides such as fucosylated glycosaminoglycan and fucan sulfate from echinoderm possess complex chemical structure and various biological activities. The two sulfated polysaccharides were purified from the low-value sea cucumber Holothuria coluber. Their physicochemical properties and chemical structures were analyzed and characterized by chemical and instrumental methods. Structural analysis clarified that the sea cucumber fucosylated glycosaminoglycan contains a chondroitin sulfate-like backbone and fucosyl branches with four various sulfation patterns. The fucan sulfate with molecular weight of 64.6 kDa comprises a central core of regular α(1 → 4)-linked tetrasaccharide repeating units, each of which is linked by a 4-O-sulfated fucose residue. Anticoagulant assays indicated that these sulfated polysaccharides possessed strong APTT prolonging activities and intrinsic factor Xase inhibitory activities, both of which decreased with the reduction of their molecular weights. Our results expand knowledge on the structural types of sulfated polysaccharides from sea cucumbers and further illustrate their functionality. •Two sulfated polysaccharides were purified from the sea cucumber Holothuria colube•Structures of theses polysaccharides were analyzed and characterized by chemical and instrumental methods•The fucosylated glycosaminoglycan contains a chondroitin sulfate-like backbone and fucosyl branches with four various sulfation patterns•The fucan sulfate comprises regular α(1 → 4)-linked tetrasaccharide repeating units and 4-O-sulfated fucose side chains•These sulfated polysaccharides possess strong APTT prolonging activities and intrinsic factor Xase inhibitory activities