In Vitro Studies Reveal Antiurolithic Effect of Antioxidant Sulfated Polysaccharides from the Green Seaweed <i>Caulerpa cupressoides</i> var <i>flabellata</i>
Dayanne Lopes Gomes,
Karoline Rachel Teodosio Melo,
Moacir Fernandes Queiroz,
Lucas Alighieri Neves Costa Batista,
Pablo Castro Santos,
Mariana Santana Santos Pereira Costa,
Jailma Almeida-Lima,
Rafael Barros Gomes Camara,
Leandro Silva Costa,
Hugo Alexandre Oliveira Rocha
Affiliations
Dayanne Lopes Gomes
Laboratory of Natural Polymer Biotechnology (BIOPOL), Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte- RN 59078-970, Brazil
Karoline Rachel Teodosio Melo
Laboratory of Natural Polymer Biotechnology (BIOPOL), Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte- RN 59078-970, Brazil
Moacir Fernandes Queiroz
Laboratory of Natural Polymer Biotechnology (BIOPOL), Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte- RN 59078-970, Brazil
Lucas Alighieri Neves Costa Batista
Laboratory of Natural Polymer Biotechnology (BIOPOL), Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte- RN 59078-970, Brazil
Pablo Castro Santos
State University of Rio Grande do Norte (UERN), Mossoró-RN 59.610-210, Brazil
Mariana Santana Santos Pereira Costa
Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN), João Câmara-RN 59.550-000, Brazil
Jailma Almeida-Lima
Laboratory of Natural Polymer Biotechnology (BIOPOL), Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte- RN 59078-970, Brazil
Rafael Barros Gomes Camara
Laboratory of Natural Polymer Biotechnology (BIOPOL), Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte- RN 59078-970, Brazil
Leandro Silva Costa
Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN), Canguaretama-RN 59.190-000, Brazil
Hugo Alexandre Oliveira Rocha
Laboratory of Natural Polymer Biotechnology (BIOPOL), Department of Biochemistry, Center of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte- RN 59078-970, Brazil
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) can 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 Caulerpa cupressoides modified the morphology, size and surface charge of CaOx crystals. Thus, these crystals became similar to those found in healthy persons. In the presence of SPs, dihydrate CaOx crystals showed rounded or dumbbell morphology. Infrared analysis, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry (FITC-conjugated SPs) and atomic composition analysis (EDS) allowed us to 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.
