We have succeeded to extract and purify glycosaminoglycan from common sea cucumber (Stichopus japonicus) (scGAG) and analyzed its character, recently. Elemental analysis of the scGAG revealed that this GAG is composed of N (3%), C (31-34%), H (5%) and S (5-6%) mainly. And sulfate group(s) was/were contained in the scGAG’s structure and it was tolerant of chondrotinase ABC. Several studies have been reported that GAG from sea cucumber (fucosylated chondroitin sulfate) affects on anti-coagulant and anti-thrombotic activity; however, there is very few information of function of scGAG, especially cell growth and differentiation. In this study we used a range of analysis, including histological and molecular biological methods, to evaluate the effect of the scGAG in adipogenesis.
Mouse mesenchymal stem cell (MSC; KUSA-A1) was used in this study. Cells were cultured with adipogenesis differentiation medium with or without scGAG. After incubating cells for adipogenesis for a period of time, the cells were collected and measured the amount of deposited triglyceride, diameter of fat droplet in adipocytes and expression level of adipogenesis-related genes. Then we totally evaluated the function of scGAG. Moreover we also compared effect of scGAG and fucoidan, sea algae originated, on adipogenesis.
The scGAG treated-MSC differentiated adipocytes. However, the differentiated cells had small number of droplets with small diameter compare to control cells (non-treated MSC). The expression level of adipogenesis related factors, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and (fatty acid-binding protein) aP2, were suppressed dose-dependent manner. Fucoidan also suppressed the adipogenesis differentiation of MSC, however its suppressive activity on adipogenesis was much lower than scGAG. The scGAG used in this study may control the adipogenesis by suppress the some adipogenesis-related factors directly and/or indirectly. Inhibition of adipogenesis from MSC would be possible to control the volume of fat tissue by scGAG.
