Objective: To extract polysaccharides from Caulerpa taxifolia and determine its anti-virus bioactivity.
Methods: The crude polysaccharides were extracted by hot water and precipitated with ethanol, then they were further purified by DEAE-Cellulose and Sephadex G-200 chromatography. After determined by chemicophysical analysis, the polished polysaccharides were selenium treated and bio-assayed by MT and CPE methods.
Results: The crude extraction from Caulerpa taxifolia was a kind of sulfated polysaccharides in which the average content of polysaccharides and sulfate were 27. 9% and 11.5%, respectively. The recovery rate of the polished polysaccharides was 66.3% after the 2-column purification. The IC50 and TI of the purified polysaccharide SCpl1 were 2.2 mg/mL and 3057.0, respectively. After treated with selenium, the average diameter of the nanoparticle was 28.6 nm, and its bioactivity and TI index were enhanced significantly although with a higher cytotoxicity.
Conclusion: The polysaccharides from Caulerpa taxifolia and its selenium particles was a kind of bioactive substance for anti-virus drug-candidate development.