Water soluble polysaccharides from Codium fragile var.novae zelandiae

MARINA CIANCIA; JOSÉ M. ESTEVEZ; IRENE QUINTANA; LUCÍA KORDICH; ALBERTO S. CEREZO

Bergen

Simposio; XVIII International Seaweed Symposium; 2004

International Seaweed Asociation

WATER SOLUBLE POLYSACCHARIDES FROM CODIUM FRAGILE VAR. NOVAE ZELANDIAE Marina Ciancia1, José M. Estevez1, Irene L. Quintana2, Lucía C. Kordich2, and Alberto S. Cerezo1 1Departamento de Química Orgánica (CIHIDECAR-CONICET) and 2Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, 1428 Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA The present study is part of a research focused on polysaccharides biosynthesized by species of  Codium from Argentine shores, being C. fragile var. novae-zelandiae the most abundant species of the genus. The milled seaweed was first treated with ethanol and the residue was extracted with water at room-temperature. The polysaccharides were recovered by pouring the solution into 3 vols. of iso-PrOH; the crude sample was further purified by dialysis to give A1P, which contained 49.6 % of carbohydrates, 17.0 % of sulfate (as NaSO3), and 13.5 % of proteins. Analysis of the monosaccharide composition indicated the presence of important quantities of d-galactose and l-arabinose (63.6 % and 23.1 %, respectively) and minor percertages of rhamnose, xylose, manose, and glucose; a small amount of uronic acids (> 1.5 %) was also detected. Methylation analysis and 13 C NMR spectroscopy of A1P indicated 3-linked b-d-galactopyranose units, substituted in part on C-4 and/or C-6; the a- l-arabinofuranose residues are in part 5-linked and partly also substituted on C-3. The homogeneity of this product is now under study. Preliminary results on the crude extract showed an important anticoagulant effect in the TT (Thrombin Time) and the APTT (Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time), using plasma as substrate source; no effect in the RT (Reptilase Time) was observed.