Isolation and Characterization of Glycosaminoglycans from Squid (Loligo duvauceli) and Cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis)

Abstract

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) have wide applications
in biomedical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic field.
The present study was aimed at isolation and
characterization of glycosaminoglycans from selected
tissues of two important species of cephalopods,
Loligo duvauceli and Sepia pharaonis. The
isolation protocol developed was based on the
stability of the GAGs at temperatures beyond
ambient conditions, as well as their property as
water soluble hetero-polysaccharides. Among all the
tissues analyzed, the cranial cartilage of both the
cephalopod species contained glycosaminoglycans
with a yield of ~80 g kg-1 dry defatted tissue. The
FT-IR peak intensities confirmed that the predominal
GAGs of both the cephalopod species studied were
chondroitin sulphate type, with variations in their
sulphation pattern. The squid and cuttlefish cranial
cartilages hitherto considered as processing discards,
have great potential as a source of chondroitin
sulphate – GAGs.