Anticoagulant properties of a sulfated galactan preparation from a marine green alga, Codium cylindricum

An anticoagulant was isolated from a marine green alga, Codium cylindrium. The anticoagulant was composed mainly of galactose with a small amount of g lucose, and was highly sulfated (13.1% as SO3,Na). The anticoagulant proper ties of the purified anticoagulant were compared with that of heparin by as says of activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT) and thrombin time ITT) using normal human plasma. The anticoagulant showed similar activities with heparin, however, weaker than heparin. On the othe r hand, the anticoagulant did not affect PT even at the concentration at wh ich APTT and TT were strongly prolonged. The anticoagulant did not potentia te antithrombin III (AT III) and heparin cofactor II (HC II), thus the anti coagulant mechanism would he different from that of other anticoagulants is olated so far from the genus Codium. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All lig hts reserved.