Structure and preliminary anti-inflammatory activity of a novel sulfated α-glucan from Volutharpa ampullacea perryi.

Glucans, as versatile biomacromolecules, hold significant application potential across various industries. Volutharpa ampullacea perryi, an affordable deep-sea gastropod, demonstrates considerable commercial promise. In this study, a novel sulfated α-glucan (VpG) was isolated and identified from Volutharpa ampullacea perryi for the first time. Compared to other α-sulfated glucans, it has a high degree of sulfation (18.6 %) and an ultra-high molecular weight of approximately 2250 kDa. Further NMR analysis, including 1H, 13C, COSY, TOCSY, HSQC and HMBC, revealed that the anomeric signals at 5.35 ppm dominated. Therefore, VpG is mainly consisted of a repeating α-(1 → 4)-linked glucose backbone with β-(1 → 6) and β-(1 → 3)-linked glucosyl branches. Furthermore, bioactivity evaluation demonstrated that VpG significantly alleviates inflammation in dextran sulfate sodium-induced mouse models of ulcerative colitis, effectively inhibiting body weight loss by 20 % and colon shortening by 31.26 %. The strong anti-inflammatory activity of VpG indicates its potential in pharmaceutical development and provides a novel approach for the high-value utilization of Volutharpa ampullacea perryi.