Ana Helena P. Gracher

A gel-forming β-glucan isolated from the fruit bodies of the edible mushroom Pleurotus florida

Glucans of basidiomycetes are considered to be an important class of polysaccharides, as they can act as biological response modifiers. We now isolate a gel-forming, water-soluble beta-glucan, with a molecular mass of 1.2 x 10(6)g/mol (HPSEC), from the fruit bodies of the edible mushroom Pleurotus florida, via alkaline extraction, followed by fractionation by freeze-thawing. Structural assignments were carried out using mono- and bi-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, monosaccharide composition, methylation analyses, and a controlled Smith degradation. It was a branched beta-glucan, with a main chain of (1-->3)-linked-Glcp residues, substituted at O-6 by single-unit Glcp side chains, on average to every fourth residue of the backbone.

Influence of molecular weight of chemically sulfated citrus pectin fractions on their antithrombotic and bleeding effects

Evaluated were the anticoagulant and antithrombotic activities, and bleeding effect of two chemically sulfated polysaccharides, obtained from citric pectin, with different average molar masses. Both low-molecular-weight (Pec-LWS, 3,600 g/mol) and high-molecular-weight sulfated pectins (Pec-HWS, 12,000 g/mol) had essentially the same structure, consisting of a (1-->4)-linked alpha-D-GalpA chain with almost all its HO-2 and HO-3 groups substituted by sulfate. Both polysaccharides had anticoagulant activity in vitro, although Pec-HWS was a more potent antithrombotic agent in vivo, giving rise to total inhibition of venous thrombosis at a dose of 3.5 mg/kg body weight. Surprisingly, in contrast with heparin, Pec-HWS and Pec-LWS are able to directly inhibit alpha-thrombin and factor Xa by a mechanism independent of antithrombin (AT) and/or heparin co-factor II (HCII). Moreover, Pec-HWS provided a lower risk of bleeding than heparin at a dose of 100% effectiveness against venous thrombosis, indicating it to be a promising antithrombotic agent.

Sulfation pattern of citrus pectin and its carboxy-reduced derivatives: influence on anticoagulant and antithrombotic effects.

Citrus pectin (CP), a polysaccharide composed of [→4)-α-D-GalpA-(1→]n, was submitted to one or four carboxy-reduction cycles, resulting in CP-CR1 and CP-CR4, which had 40% and 2% of GalpA units, respectively. The polysaccharides were chemically sulfated and their anticoagulant and antithrombotic effects determined. Sulfated polysaccharides (CP-S, CP-CR1S and CP-CR4S) had different anticoagulant activities, doubling APTT at concentrations of 28.7, 13.2, and 4.9 μg/ml respectively. CP-CR1S and CP-CR4S also showed antithrombotic activity in vivo with ED50 of 3.01 and 1.70 mg/kg, respectively. Like heparin, they inhibited thrombin by a mechanism dependent on AT and HCII. Their hemorrhagic potential was also similar to that of heparin. According to methylation analysis, 91.1% and 50.2% of 6-O-position in CP-CR4S and CP-CR1S were sulfated, respectively. Therefore, substitution of carboxyl groups by sulfate esters in these polysaccharides increases the anticoagulant and antithrombotic effects.

Antithrombin and heparin cofactor II-mediated inactivation of α-thrombin by a synthetic, sulfated mannogalactan

INTRODUCTION A mannogalactan from Pleurotus ostreatoroseus (MgPr) was chemically sulfated to give MgPr-S1, which was evaluated for its anticoagulant and antithrombotic activities, bleeding tendency, and platelet aggregation. MATERIALS AND METHODS MgPr-S1 was partially characterized by HPSEC-MALLS, methylation analysis, and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Its anticoagulant activity was determined by assays of aPTT, TT, alpha-thrombin and factor Xa residual activity, heparin cofactor II (HCII)-, or antithrombin (AT)-mediated inhibition. The antithrombotic effect was evaluated in rats using a venous thrombosis model and the bleeding tendency was also tested in vivo. Platelet aggregation was investigated by an adaptation of the method of Born [1]. RESULTS The hydroxyl groups of beta-D-Manp units and OH-2 and OH-4 of the (1-->6)-linked alpha-D-Galp units were preferentially substituted. The anticoagulant activity of MgPr-S1 was mainly by thrombin inhibition with antithrombin and HCII, and had an effect on platelet aggregation induced by ADP and alpha-thrombin. It almost completely inhibited thrombus formation in vivo at a dose of 6 mg/kg and heparin inhibited thrombus formation at a dose of 0.200 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS These results suggested that the chemically sulfated mannogalactan could act as an alternative to heparin as anticoagulant.

A procoagulant chemically sulfated mannan.

Disorders of hemostasis can produce innumerous problems. Polysaccharides have been studied both as anticoagulant and as procoagulant agents. A mannan with a main chain of α-(1 → 6)-linked-Manp units, branched at O-2 mainly by side-chains of 2-O-linked-α-Manp units was chemically sulfated, structurally characterized by NMR and GC-MS (methylation, desulfation and methylation with trideuterated iodomethane), and tested in vitro and in vivo on blood coagulation models. Chemical analyses indicate a high degree of substitution on the sulfated polysaccharide. This polymer acted as a procoagulant agent, increasing blood coagulation in normal and hemophilic plasma, activated platelet aggregation and also decreased ex vivo aPTT. Polymers such as the sulfated mannan could be a helpful source of hemostatic agents to prevent hemorrhagic states.

Anticoagulant activity of native and partially degraded glycoglucuronomannan after chemical sulfation.

Heparin has great clinical importance as anticoagulant and antithrombotic agent. However, because of its risks of causing bleeding and contamination by animal pathogens, several studies aim to obtain alternatives to heparin. In the search for anticoagulant and antithrombotic agents from a non-animal source, a glycoglucuronomannan from the gum exudate of the plant Vochysia thyrsoidea was partially hydrolyzed, and both native and partially degraded polysaccharides were chemically sulfated, yielding VThS and Ph-VThS respectively. Methylation analysis indicated that sulfation occurred preferentially at the O-5 position of arabinose units in the VThS and at the O-6 position of mannose units in Ph-VThS. In vitro aPTT assay showed that VThS and Ph-VThS have anticoagulant activity, which could be controlled by protamine, and ex vivo aPTT assay demonstrated that Ph-VThS is absorbed by subcutaneous route. Like heparin, they were able to inhibit α-thrombin and factor Xa by a serpin-dependent mechanism. In vivo, VThS and Ph-VThS reduced thrombus formation by approximately 50% at a dose of 40 IU/kg, similarly to heparin. The results demonstrated that the chemically sulfated polysaccharides are promising anticoagulant and antithrombotic agents.

Identification of potential targets for an anticoagulant pectin

Heparin is a sulfated polysaccharide of animal origin showing excellent anticoagulant properties. Although it strongly inhibits the coagulation cascade, its interaction with multiple sites results in several side effects. An ideal alternative compound should not only possess anticoagulant and antithrombotic activities, but also provide specific binding to components of the coagulation cascade to decrease side effects and facilitate the control of pharmacologic actions in patients body. In this work, we performed a scan of potential targets for chemically sulfated pectin from Citrus sinensis (SCP) that shows an efficient anticoagulant activity by combining proteomics and molecular docking techniques. Defining the interaction partners of SCP is fundamental to evaluate if its pharmacological side effects can be as harmful as those from heparin. SCP interacts directly with heparin cofactor II, probably favoring its interaction with thrombin. SCP interaction with antithrombin depends likely on its association with thrombin or factor Xa. In addition to the interaction with factors related to homeostasis, SCP may also act on the renin-angiotensin and on the complement systems. BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE The knowledge of potential molecular targets of SCP provides clues to understand its mechanism of action in order to guide molecular changes in this compound to increase its specificity.