Interações de polissacarídeos sulfatados da macroalga marinha Caulerpa cupressoides var. flabellata com cristais de oxalato de cálcio

Abstract

Urolithiasis affects approximately 10% of the world population and is strongly associated with calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals. Currently, there is no efficient compound that can be used to prevent this disease. However, seaweeds’ sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) have the ability to change the CaOx crystals surface’s charge and thus modify the crystallization dynamics, due to the interaction of the negative charges of these polymers with the crystal surface during their synthesis. We observed that the SPs of C. cupressoides modify the morphology, size and surface charge of CaOx crystals. Thus, these crystals are similar to those found in healthy persons. In the presence of SPs, dihydrate CaOx crystals showed rounded or dumbbell morphology. Infrared analyzes, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry (FITC-conjugated SPs) and atomic composition analysis (EDS) let us propose the mode of action between the Caulerpa’s SPs and the CaOx crystals. This study is the first step in understanding the interactions between SPs, which are promising molecules for the treatment of urolithiasis, and CaOx crystals, which are the main cause of kidney stones.