Blood anticoagulant sulphated polysaccharides of the marine green algae Codium dwarkense (Boergs.) and C. tomentosum (Huds.) Stackh.

ABSTRACT

Cold water extracts of marine green algae Codium dwarkense and C. tomentosum were precipitated with different molar concentrations of KCl and were subjected to anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Both the species yielded sulphated arabinan through bioassay-guided purification and both were chemically identified as a polymer of alpha-L-arabinofuranose. Products were assayed for their blood anticoagulant activity using PT, APFT and TT tests and found that they differed in the potency of activity though they are chemically identical. Bioassay-guided purification of cold water extract of C. tomentosum yielded sulphated arabinan and sulphated arabinogalactan.