Optimization of the Preparation Process of Functional Fish Cartilage Polysaccharide and Its Safety Evaluation for Consumption

Low-molecular-mass chondroitin sulfate (CS) have attracted wide attention due to their better bioavailability and biological activity than highmolecular-mass CS. To obtain low-molecular-mass sulfate chondropolysaccharides with higher anti-colorectal cancer activity, sturgeon chondroitin sulfate (SCS) from the hybrid sturgeon Acipenser schrenckii × Huso dauricus was enzymatically depolymerized. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the enzymatic process based on inhibitory activity against the proliferation of HT-29 cells. The optimal enzymatic conditions were determined as 0.103 IU/mg, 1.005 mg/mL and 87 min for enzyme dosage, substrate concentration, and enzymatic digestion time, respectively. Furthermore, SCS-F2 with low molecular mass and high anticancer activity was prepared by ultrafiltration. In order to explore its safety for consumption, the acute toxicity of SCS-F2 was evaluated by using an animal model. The experimental results showed that SCS-F2 has no adverse effects on body mass, food intake, blood biochemical indexes or visceral tissues while reducing the number of aberrant colonic crypts, indicating that SCS-F2 has inhibitory and preventive effects on colorectal cancer and meets the safety requirements of food and health products. Therefore, SCS-F2 is safe and non-toxic, and has anti-colorectal cancer activity.