The combination between cations and sulfated polysaccharide from abalone gonad (Haliotis discus hannai Ino).

Effects of cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) on the structure of abalone gonad sulfated polysaccharide (AGSP) were studied by means of Congo red test, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the local ordered helical conformation was observed in AGSP. The cations could combine with anionic groups in AGSP by ionic bonds, which caused the weakening of electrostatic repulsion and crosslinking of molecular chains. Furthermore, the effects of divalent cations on the conformation were more obvious than that of monovalent cations, and divalent cations led to the aggregation of AGSP due to the more interaction sites. In short, AGSP molecular chains were crosslinked through ionic bonds after adding cations, and, divalent cations could induce the aggregation of AGSP by electrostatic interactions. This study will provide valuable insights for the further research on AGSP conformation.