Two different fucosylated chondroitin sulfates: structural elucidation, stimulating hematopoiesis and immune-enhancing effects

Abstract Two fucosylated chondroitin sulfates FCShp and FCSht were isolated from the sea cucumber Holothuria polii and Holothuria tubulosa, respectively. The NMR spectroscopy and HILIC-FTMS methods were applied for their detailed structural characterization. Chemical analysis indicated that the two FCSs all contained a chondroitin sulfate backbone chondroitin sulfate-like core and fucosyl branches of α-L-Fuc2,4S, α-L-Fuc4S or α-L-Fuc3,4S linked to O-3 of glucuronic acid residues. The main branches of FCShp and FCSht were monofucose, and the small amounts of di-, tri- and tetrafucose with α-1,3-linkage type were also detected. Finally, we investigated the immunomodulatory function of FCShp and FCSht in cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced immunosuppressed mouse models. The results showed that FCShp and FCSht had beneficial effects on hematopoietic function recovery in CTX-induced bone marrow suppression mice. Notably, the α-L-Fuc2,4S was more important to the activity than α-L-Fuc3,4S. These results provided basis for developing the drugs to reduce side effects of chemotherapy.