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.