Bioactive compounds obtained from shrimp waste and chemical modifications of heparin

Abstract

Brazil rose to prominence as one of the major producer of shrimps, concentrating its production on the Pacific white shrimp, L. vannamei. Marine organisms possess a variety of naturally occurring polysaccharides with variations in sugar composition and sulfation patterns determined by the species as well as their habitat. Such compounds possess pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and research applications of high added value and, since they originate from waste material, their exploitation is both environmentally and economically advantageous. The primary aim of the project is the isolation of potentially high value glycosaminoglycan or glycosaminoglycan-like structures from shrimp waste material that are active as inhibitors of angiogenesis and vasoregulators. The structural characterization of the most active compounds will also be undertaken as well as their interactions with key protein partners such as antithrombin and other serpins, growth factors such as VEGF and FGFs, extracellular matrix components such as fibronectin and laminin, and cell surface components such as integrins and kininogen, among others.Additional bioactive structures will also be available for screening, not only from shrimp waste, but also from an extant library of sulfated polysaccharides, as well as chemically modified heparins.