Effect of Desulfation of Polysaccharides from Sea Urchin Eggs Paracentrotus Lividus on Antiproliferative Activity

• Published in: Chemistry Africa Vol. 7; no. 6; pp. 3293 - 3301
• Main Authors: Msehli, Asma, Salem, Yosra Ben, Dammak, Mariem Itaimi, Mansour, Hedi Ben, Rihouey, Christophe, Le Cerf, Didier, Bouraoui, Abderrahman, Majdoub, Hatem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Inorganic Chemistry; Organometallic Chemistry; Original Article; Antiproliferative activity; Desulfated polysaccharides; Physico-chemical characterization
• ISSN: 2522-5758; 2522-5766
• DOI: 10.1007/s42250-024-00968-5

This study aims to study the impact of reducing the sulfate content and molecular weight of polysaccharides extracted from sea urchin eggs ( Paracentrotus lividus ) on antiproliferative activity against Caco-2 and B16 cell lines. Sulfated polysaccharides were initially extracted from sea urchin eggs, followed by a desulfation process. The characterization involved various techniques: Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for demonstrating desulfation, Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry for determining monosaccharide composition, Size Exclusion Chromatography for confirming molecular weight reduction, and centesimal analysis for quantifying sulfate content. The initial molecular weight was 24,000 kg/mol decreased to 960 kg/mol, and sulfate content reduced from 9.41 to 1.31% after 4 h of desulfation. The investigation reveals that a decrease in sulfate content corresponded to a reduction in molecular weight, leading to an increase in antiproliferative activity. At a concentration of 400 µg/mL, inhibition percentages against Caco-2 cells increased from 43.14% for native sulfated polysaccharide to 79.68% after 4 h of desulfation. Similarly, for antiproliferative activity against B16 cells, native polysaccharide exhibited 60.71% inhibition, whereas desulfated polysaccharide after 4 h showed an increased inhibition percentage of 82.23%. This investigation demonstrates the specific contributions of these two factors to the observed antiproliferative effects. While sulfate content plays a role in antiproliferative activity, molecular weight emerged as the most crucial factor for enhancing this effect. These findings contribute valuable insights into the optimization of sea urchin eggs-derived polysaccharides for potential anticancer treatment, highlighting the importance of balancing sulfate content and molecular weight for therapeutic efficacy.