Studies on European eel skin sulfated glycosaminoglycans: Recovery, structural characterization and anticoagulant activity

Abstract The goal of the present work was the extraction and structural characterization of novel sulfated glycosaminoglycans from European eel skin. The recovered glycosaminoglycans were physicochemically characterized and the uronic acid and sulfate contents were 35.12 ± 2.13% and 16.32 ± 0.4%, respectively. Cellulose acetate electrophoresis for extracted glycosaminoglycans was also investigated. Molecular weight of these sulfated glycosaminoglycans was determined (~37 kDa) by the gradient PAGE. Glycosaminoglycans obtained from the European eel were composed of non-sulfated, mono- and disulfated disaccharides. These sulfated glycosaminoglycans were evaluated for their in vitro anticoagulant activity using activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time and prothrombin time tests. The result showed that the recovered glycosaminoglycans exhibited interestingly anticoagulant activity. These glycosaminoglycans did not show haemolytic activity towards human erythrocytes. Furthermore, these bioactive substances can be explored as a functional food with antithrombotic function or used as source of anticoagulant drugs.