Fucosylated chondroitin sulfates of Holothuria: ten years of research (2016–2025) at the N. D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Holothurians (sea cucumbers) contain unique sulfated polysaccharides, known as fucosylated chondroitin sulfates (FCSs). These biopolymers have a regular backbone composed of alternating 4-linked β-d-glucuronic acid (GlcA) and 3-linked N-acetyl-β-d-galactosamine (GalNAc) residues with branches, most commonly in the form of single α-l-fucopyranose residues attached to the O(3) atom of GlcA. Fucobiose residues and several other disaccharides may also serve as side chains, and their attachment site can be the O(6) atom of the GalNAc residue. Molecules of FCSs are abundantly sulfated, and sulfate groups can be located at any hydroxy group of the polymer. Fucosylated chondroitin sulfates isolated from various sea cucumber species possess distinct structures, whose specificity is determined by the number and location of substituents in the backbone. These structural features also dictate the biological properties of FCSs. The anticoagulant and antithrombotic activities of FCSs have been well studied; recently, their immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antitumor, and antiangiogenic properties have also been reported. Most promising from a practical standpoint is their ability to stimulate hematopoiesis.