Preparation and characterization of 2-deacetyl-3-O-sulfo-heparosan and its antitumor effects via the fibroblast growth factor receptor pathway

Heparosan, with a linear chain of disaccharide repeating units of → 4) β-D-glucuronic acid (GlcA) (1 → 4)-α-D-N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) (1→, is a potential starting chemical for heparin synthesis. However, the chemoenzymatic synthesis of single-site sulfated heparosan and its antitumor activity have not been studied. In this study, 2-deacetyl-3-O-sulfo-heparosan (DSH) was prepared successively by the N-deacetylation chemical reaction and enzymatic modification of human 3-O-sulfotransferase-1 (3-OST-1). Structural characterization of DSH was shown the success of the sulfation with the sulfation degree of 0.87. High performance gel permeation chromatography (HPGPC) analysis revealed that DSH had only one symmetrical sharp peak with a molecular weight of 9.6334 × 10 Da. Biological function studies showed that DSH could inhibit tumor cell (A549, HepG2 and HCT116) viability and induce the apoptosis of A549 cells. Further in vitro mechanistic studies showed that DSH may induce apoptosis via the JNK signaling pathway, and the upstream signal of this process may be fibroblast growth factor receptors. These results indicated that DSH could be developed as one of a potential chemical for tumor treatment.