Obtenção de polissacarídeos sulfatados da alga vermelha comestível Gracilaria birdiae e sua influência na formação e morfologia de cristais de oxalato de cálcio

Abstract

The urolithiasis disease affects approximately 10% of the world's population and is strongly associated calcium oxalate crystals (CaOx). Until now, there is not an efficient compound that can be used to prevent this disease. However, some sulfated polysaccharides (SP) from brown seaweeds exhibited an ability to inhibit the formation of CaOx crystals and change the morphology in vitro. SP from the red seaweed Gracilaria birdiae has important biological activities, but they have not been evaluated as inhibitor of CaOx crystals formation. This study aimed to obtain SP from this seaweed and evaluate their effect on CaOx crystals formation. Thus, sulfated polysaccharide-rich extract (EC) was obtained using alkaline extraction, sonication, proteolytic digestion followed by ethanol precipitation. This extract was fractionated into five fractions (F-0.25; F-0.5; F-0.75; F-1.0; F-1.25) by DEAE-cellulose ion-exchange chromatography. Agarose gel electrophoresis, infrared and chemical analysis showed that these fractions contain the same pool of sulfated galactose-rich polysaccharides. F-0.25; F-0.5; F, 0.75; F-1.0 were able to inhibit important formation steps of the CaOx crystals, as nucleation and aggregation, we highlight F-0.25 that promoted the highest inhibition of nucleation in 76.92% and aggregation in 68.57%. The F-0.25 and F-0.5 fractions were able to reduce approximately 6 and 7 times, respectively, the number of these CaOx monohydrated crystals (COM) formed in vitro, whereas F-0.75 and F-1.0 fractions reduced this number only 1.5 times. The morphology of CaOX crystals was mainly affected by the samples EC, F-0.25; F-0.5 and F-0.75, they promoted the most discordant variations in the control. The analysis of the zeta potential (ζ) of the crystals formed in the presence of the samples was found an increase of negative charges on their surfaces. Through the images obtained by fluorescence microscopy revealed that the PS are distributed homogeneously in the dehydrated crystals (COD) and peripherally in COM. The data obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) revealed wide variations in the distribution of oxygen and calcium atoms on the surface of the crystals in the presence of F-0.25 and F-0.5. The kidney cells HEK-293, MDCK and 786-0 showed low toxicity in the presence of EC and fractions F-0.25; F-0.5; F, 0.75. These samples protected kidney MDCK cells against damage caused by H2O2 and CaOx. Finally, the MDCK cells treated beforehand and concomitant with both F-0.25 and F-0.5 in the presence of H2O2 and CaOx, reduced the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes. Overall, the data showed that PS G. birdiae may be potential pharmacological targets for preventive, therapeutic and repairing damage caused by urolithiasis. However, it is important that to make set in vivo experiments, as well as, experiments to elucidate the precise mechanism of action by which these PS protect the H2O2 damage on cells.