ABSTRACT
Urolithiasis affects approximately 10% of the world population and is strongly associated with calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals. Currently, there is no efficient compound that can be used to prevent this disease. However, seaweeds' sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) can change the CaOx crystals surface's charge and thus modify the crystallization dynamics, due to the interaction of the negative charges of these polymers with the crystal surface during their synthesis. We observed that the SPs of Caulerpa cupressoides modified the morphology, size and surface charge of CaOx crystals. Thus, these crystals became similar to those found in healthy persons. In the presence of SPs, dihydrate CaOx crystals showed rounded or dumbbell morphology. Infrared analysis, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry (FITC-conjugated SPs) and atomic composition analysis (EDS) allowed us to propose the mode of action between the Caulerpa's SPs and the CaOx crystals. This study is the first step in understanding the interactions between SPs, which are promising molecules for the treatment of urolithiasis, and CaOx crystals, which are the main cause of kidney stones.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants/pharmacology , Calcium Oxalate/chemistry , Caulerpa/chemistry , Polysaccharides/pharmacology , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Kidney Calculi/chemistry , Kidney Calculi/drug therapy , Polysaccharides/chemistry , Polysaccharides/therapeutic use , Surface Properties/drug effects , Urolithiasis/drug therapyABSTRACT
The sulfated polysaccharides (SP) from the edible red seaweed, Gracilaria birdiae, were obtained using five different extraction conditions: Gracilaria birdiae 1 (GB1)-water; GB1s-water/sonication; GB1sp-water/sonication/proteolysis; GB2s-NaOH/sonication; and GB2sp-NaOH/sonication/proteolysis. The yield (g) increased in the following order: GB2sp>GB1sp>GB2s>GB1s>GB1. However, the amount of SP extracted increased in a different way: GB2sp>GB1>GB1sp>GB1s>GB2s. Infrared and electrophoresis analysis showed that all conditions extracted the same SP. In addition, monosaccharide composition showed that ultrasound promotes the extraction of polysaccharides other than SP. In the prothrombin time (PT) test, which evaluates the extrinsic coagulation pathway, none of the samples showed anticoagulant activity. While in the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) test, which evaluates the intrinsic coagulation pathway, all samples showed anticoagulant activity, except GB2s. The aPTT activity decreased in the order of GB1sp>GB2sp>GB1>GB1s>GB2s. The total capacity antioxidant (TCA) of the SP was also affected by extraction condition, since GB2s and GB1 showed lower activity in comparison to the other conditions. In conclusion, the conditions of SP extraction influence their biological activities and chemical composition. The data revealed that NaOH/sonication/proteolysis was the best condition to extract anticoagulant and antioxidant SPs from Gracilaria birdiae.
