title: Complement modulating and anticoagulant effects of a sulfated exopolysaccharide released by the cyanobacterium Synechocystis aquatilis.
abstract: During batch cultivation, the cyanobacterial strain Synechocystis aquatilis Sauvageau B90.79 was found to release a fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharide, which was mainly composed of arabinose (45%) and fucose (47%) and had a degree of sulfation of 0.43. The released polysaccharide showed merely an anticoagulant activity of less than 10% compared to the reference compound, unfractionated heparin. However, distinctive effects on the complement activation were observed: its inhibitory effect on the classical pathway of complement activation was 600-fold stronger than that of unfractionated heparin, whereas that on the alternative pathway of complement activation was 2- to 3-fold weaker. The results indicate that this biotechnologically producible, released polysaccharide represents a specifically acting complement modulator.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany. volk@pharmazie.uni-kiel.de
authors.forename: Rainer-B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Volk
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Venzke
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Blaschek
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alban
mesh_terms: D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D046939:Synechocystis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D011134:Polysaccharides