Morphological transformation and proliferation of rat astrocytes as induced by sulfated polysaccharides from the sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus

► A new sulfated polysaccharide (HS) induced cultured astrocytes reactive. ► HS combined with FGF-2 transformed polygonal astrocyte into a stella morphology along with higher GFAP expression. ► HS induced cell proliferation. ► HS may be a good candidate for central nervous diseases therapy and brain injury repair.