Structure and biological activity of a fucosylated chondroitin sulphate isolated from the sea cucumber, Holothuria forskali

摘要

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are a group of structurally related polysaccharides found as carbohydrate moieties of proteoglycans or as free polysaccharides. GAGs have been shown to play important biological roles in a number of processes including cell adhesion, haemostasis and inflammation. During the past few years there has been an increasing interest in oversulfated GAGs from marine organisms, and in particular from sea cucumbers who have body walls rich in unusual chondroitin-like polymers. We have investigated a North Atlantic sea cucumber species, Holothuria forskali, and isolated a fucosylated CS polymer. Its composition has been determined using NMR spectroscopy at 800 MHz.