Abstract
Despite the increased bacterial resistance of various antibiotics, there is a need to develop new antibiotic drugs with improved pharmacological profiles that can also overcome drug-resistant forms of bacteria. In this research project, we have identified and characterized a marine polysaccharide with the potential to be developed as an antibacterial agent. Sulphated polysaccharides isolated from the New Zealand mussel Perna canaliculus were used against five strains of bacteria and showed an antibacterial effect on three strains of gram-positive bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The analysis of these marine polysaccharides confirmed the presence of glycosaminoglycan-like structures that contained antibacterial activity. This antibacterial activity was shown to be highly susceptible to fucose but not to chondroitin sulphated. This enzymatic and antibacterial activity pattern has not previously been seen in either marine or mammalian glycosaminoglycans. As such, our findings suggest that we have identified a new type of marine-derived fucose chondroitin sulphated-like polysaccharide with potent antibacterial properties.