Preparation of oversulfated fucoidan fragments and evaluation of their antithrombotic activities.

Oversulfated fucoidan fragments (20-40 and 40-60 kDa) were prepared, and their fibrinolytic and anticoagulant activities were compared with those of oversulfated fucoidan (100-130 kDa) reported previously [Soeda et al., Biochem. Pharmacol. 43, 1853-1858, 1992]. The results of these experiments indicated that the in vitro abilities of oversulfated fucoidan to stimulate tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA)-catalyzed plasminogen activation and to potentiate thrombin inhibition by antithrombin III or heparin cofactor II decreased with a decrease in its molecular size. However, the preventive effects of both fucoidan fragments on endotoxin-induced hepatic vein thrombosis in hyperlipemic rats were almost the same as that of oversulfated fucoidan (100-130 kDa). We also found that, unlike heparin treatment, the concentrations of serum and vascular endothelium t-PA in rats treated with oversulfated fucoidan or its fragments (1 mg each/kg/week) were maintained at normal levels. The 20-40 and 40-60 kDa fragments had an ability to decrease the elevated levels of serum cholesterol in hyperlipemic rats, whereas the 100-130 kDa fucoidan derivative did not. These results suggest that oversulfated fucoidan and its fragments have another function(s), besides the regulation of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, and are of therapeutic benefit for the prevention of thrombus formation in hyperlipemia.