Unique heparan sulfate from shrimp heads exhibits a strong inhibitory effect on infections by dengue virus and Japanese encephalitis virus

The structure and biological activities of a highly sulfated heparan sulfate (HS) extracted from shrimp (Penaeus brasiliensis) heads were characterized. Structurally the shrimp HS was more heterogenous than heparin, although it is still highly sulfated. The molecular mass of the shrimp HS preparation was determined to be 32.3 kDa by gel filtration HPLC. Analysis by surface plasmon resonance demonstrated that various growth/differentiation factors specifically bound to the shrimp HS with comparable affinity. Notably, the shrimp HS had a greater inhibitory effect against infections by dengue virus type 2 as well as Japanese encephalitis virus than heparin. Experiments on anticoagulant activity indicated that the shrimp HS exhibited significant anti-thrombin activity, but less than the commercial heparin. Hence, the HS preparation from shrimp heads, an industrial waste, is a prospective agent for a variety of clinical applications.

► Structure and biological activities of a highly sulfated heparan sulfate from shrimp heads were characterized. Structurally the shrimp heparan sulfate was more heterogenous than heparin. Various growth/differentiation factors specifically bound to the shrimp heparan sulfate with comparable affinity. The shrimp heparan sulfate had a great inhibitory effect against infections by dengue and Japanese encephalitis virus. The heparan sulfate preparation from shrimp heads is a prospective agent for a variety of clinical applications.