A disaccharide repeat unit is the major structure in fucoidans from two species of brown algae.
The predominant repeating structure of a fraction of the fucoidan from Ascophyllum nodosum prepared by acid hydrolysis and centrifugal partition chromatography (LMWF) was established as: [-->3)-alpha-L-Fuc(2SO3-)-(1-->4)-alpha-L-Fuc(2,3diSO3-)-(1]n by NMR spectroscopy and methylation analysis. The proton and carbon NMR spectra of this unit have been assigned and found to correspond with features in the spectra of the whole purified fucan from A. nodosum which account for most of the integrated intensity. The same structure has also been recognised in the fucoidan of Fucus vesiculosus. The fraction LMWF has in vitro anticoagulant activity, indicating that the above structure may be partly responsible for biological activity in the native fucoidan.
Laboratoire de Recherches sur les Macromolécules, Unité de Recherche Marine 2 et Unité Mixte de Recherche CNRS 7540, Université Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France. chevolot@ifremer.fr
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Chevolot
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Mulloy
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Ratiskol
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Foucault
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Colliec-Jouault
D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000737:chemistry; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D005643:Fucose / Q000737:chemistry; D006493:Heparin / Q000737:chemistry; D008745:Methylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular; D000459:Phaeophyceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013431:Sulfates / Q000032:analysis
D000925:Anticoagulants; D011134:Polysaccharides; D013431:Sulfates; D005643:Fucose; D006493:Heparin; C007789:fucoidan