Efeito antitrombótico de uma fucana não anticoagulante extraída da alga Spatoglossum Schröederi

Fucan is a term used to denominate a family of sulfated L-fucose-rich polysaccharides. The brown alga Spatoglossum schröederi (Dictyotaceae) has three heterofucans namely fucan A, B and C. The 21 kDa fucan A is composed of a core of β (1-3) glucuronic acid-containing oligosaccharide of 4.5 kDa with branches at C4 of fucose chains α (1-3) linked. The fucose is mostly substituted at C4 with a sulfate group and at C2 with chains of β (1-4) xylose. This fucan has neither anticoagulant (from from 0.1 to 100µg) nor hemorrhagic activities (from 50 to 800 µg/mL). The antithrombotic test in vivo showed the fucan A has no activity in any of the concentrations (from 0.2 to 20µg/g/day) tested 1h after polysaccharide administration. However, when fucan A was injected endovenously 24h before the ligature of the venae cavae, we observed a dose-dependent effect, reaching saturation at around 20g/g of rat weight. In addition, this effect is also time-dependent, reaching saturation around 16h after fucan administration. In addition, regardless of administration pathway, fucan A displayed antithrombotic action. The exception was the oral pathway. Of particular importance was the finding that fucan A stimulates the synthesis of an antithrombotic heparan sulfate from endothelial cells like heparin. The hypothesis has been raised that in vivo antithrombotic activity of fucan A is related to the increased production this heparan. Taken together with the fact that the compound is practically devoid of anticoagulant and hemorrhagic activity suggests that it may be an ideal antithrombotic agent in vivo