Antihypertensive activity of polysaccharide from Crassostrea gigas.

Water-soluble polysaccharide was extracted from Crassostrea gigas by hydrolysis with flavourzyme and filtered, ultrafiltered and precipitated using absolute ethanol. Sugar composition analysis performed on the C. gigas polysaccharide (CGP) by high performance liquid chromatography indicated that it was comprised primarily of glucose, and its molecular weight was determined using a TSK-GEL G5000PW column to be ∼3.413×10(6) Da. Next, the antihypertensive activity of CGP was evaluated in rats. Hypertension model Wistar rats were divided into three groups and intragastrically treated with physiological saline (negative control group), CGP (treatment group), and captopril (positive control group). CGP treatment led to significant decrease in both systolic and diastolic pressures in the hypertension model Wistar rats. Furthermore, the antihypertensive effect of CGP was comparable with that of captopril. Thus, CGP has antihypertensive effects and can potentially be used as a therapeutic agent for hypertension.