Intermediate molecular weight-fucosylated chondroitin sulfate from sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa is a promising anticoagulant targeting intrinsic factor IXa.

Thromboembolic diseases pose a serious risk to human health worldwide. Fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (FCS) is reported to have good anticoagulant activity with a low bleeding risk. Molecular weight plays a significant role in the anticoagulant activity of FCS, and FCS smaller than octasaccharide in size has no anticoagulant activity. Therefore, identifying the best candidate for developing novel anticoagulant FCS drugs is crucial. Herein, native FCS was isolated from sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa (FCS) and depolymerized into a series of lower molecular weights (FCSs). A comprehensive assessment of the in vitro anticoagulant activity and in vivo bleeding risk of FCSs with different molecule weights demonstrated that 10 kDa FCS (FCS-10 K) had a greater intrinsic anticoagulant activity than low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) without any bleeding risk. Using molecular modeling combined with experimental validation, we revealed that FCS-10 K can specifically inhibit the formation of the Xase complex by binding the negatively charged sulfate group of FCS-10 K to the positively charged side chain of arginine residues on the specific surface of factor IXa. Thus, these data demonstrate that the intermediate molecular weight FCS-10 K is a promising candidate for the development of novel anticoagulant drugs.