Calcium spirulan from Spirulina platensis

A novel sulphated PS named calcium spirulan has been isolated as an antiviral principle from Spirulina platensis (Nordst.) Geitl., a blue-green... 

Hayashi, K., Hayashi, T., and Kojima, I. (1996a). A natural sulfated polysaccharide, calcium spirulan, isolated from Spirulina platensis In vitro and ex vivo evaluation of anti-Herpes simplex virus and anti-human immunodeficiency virus activities. AIDS Res. Hum. Retroviruses 12,1463-1471. 

Hayashi, T., Hayashi, K., Maedaa, M., and Kojima, I. (1996b). Calcium spirulan, an inhibitor of enveloped virus replication, from a blue-green alga Spirulina platensis. ]. Nat. Prod. 59, 83-87. 

Sulfated polysaccharide antibiotic of unknown struct. Composed of two types of repeating disaccharide units O-rhamnosylacofriose and O-hexuro-nosylrhamnose (aldobiuronic acid). Characterised as the Ca deriv. Calcium spirulan, to which CAS no. refers. Isol. from the blue-green alga Spirulina platensis. Antiviral agent. Amorph. powder, (as Ca deriv.). [a]o +14.7 (c, 0.6 in H2O) (Ca deriv.). 

A wide screening to evaluate the antiviral activity of polysaccharide compormds isolated from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis on different viruses was performed by Rechter et al. [83]. These authors reported the results obtained by using specific assays for the quantification of in-vitro viral replication. The polysaccharide fractions, containing spirulan-like molecules, showed a marked inhibition of human cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus type 1, human herpesvirus type 6 and human immunodeficiency virus type 1. On the contrary, weak or no inhibition was detected for Epstein-Barr virus and influenza A virus [83]. The in-vitro antiviral activity of polysaccharide calcium spirulan produced by Arthrospira platensis (formerly Spirulina platensis) was previously described [84-86]. 

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