Structure, antiproliferative and cancer preventive properties of sulfated α-D-fucan from the marine bacterium Vadicella arenosi

Abstract Sulfated fucose-containing glycopolymers are currently of great interest because of their wide spectrum of bioactivity, including anti-tumor properties. In this study, the structure of O-polysaccharide (OPS) of the marine bacterium Vadicella arenosi KMM 9024 T , its effect on the proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and cancer preventive properties were investigated. Two OPS fractions with different molecular weights were isolated and purified from the lipopolysaccharide by mild acid hydrolysis followed by anion-exchange chromatography. The OPS was found to consist of α-(1→3)-linked 2- O -sulfate- d -fucopyranosyl residues, whose structure was deduced by sugar analysis along with 2D NMR spectroscopy. The biological assay indicated that polysaccharide significantly reduced the proliferation and inhibited colony formation of MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Besides, the experiment indicated the inhibitory role of polysaccharide on EGF-induced neoplastic cell transformation in mouse epidermal cells. The investigated polysaccharide is the first sulfated fucan isolated from the bacteria.