Characterisation of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin/dermatan sulfate from the lumpsucker fish, C. lumpus

• Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were isolated from the lumpsucker fish, Cyclopterus lumpus.
• Two key GAG components were isolated by ion-exchange and preparative chromatography.
• The structures were characterised by analytical techniques and confirmed by NMR as HA and CD/DS.
• Biological activity of the polymers was determined and is in keeping with the low sulfate content.
• The potential commercial use of lumpsucker by-catch, as a new source of HA and CS, will be explored.

The lumpsucker, Cyclopterus lumpus, a cottoid teleost fish found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, and North Pacific, was identified as a possible source of GAGs. The GAGs present in the C. lumpus dorsal hump and body wall tissue were isolated and purified. Two fractions were analysed by NMR and their GAG structures determined as hyaluronic acid and CS/DS chains. The latter fraction contained GlcA (65% of the total uronic acids) and IdoA (the remaining 35%). All uronic acid residues were unsulfated, whilst 86% of the GalNAc was 4-sulfated and 14% was 6-sulfated. The presence of GlcA-GalNAc4S, IdoA-GalNAc4S and GlcA-GalNAc6S disaccharide fragments was confirmed. The isolated GAGs obtained from each tissue were biochemically characterised. The lumpsucker offers a high yield source of GAGs, which compares favourably with other sources such as shark cartilage.