Chemical Structures and Bioactivities of Sulfated Polysaccharides from Marine Algae

Abstract

Sulfated polysaccharides and their lower molecular weight oligosaccharide derivatives from marine macroalgae have been shown to possess a variety of biological activities. The present paper will review the recent progress in research on the structural chemistry and the bioactivities of these marine algal biomaterials. In particular, it will provide an update on the structural chemistry of the major sulfated polysaccharides synthesized by seaweeds including the galactans (e.g., agarans and carrageenans), ulvans, and fucans. It will then review the recent findings on the anticoagulant/antithrombotic, antiviral, immuno-inflammatory, antilipidemic and antioxidant activities of sulfated polysaccharides and their potential for therapeutic application.

Properties of polysaccharides in several seaweeds from Atlantic Canada and their potential anti-influenza viral activities

“…Reports have revealed recently that algal polysaccharides exhibited antiviral activities both in vivo and in vitro (Witvrouw and De Clercq 1997;Schaeffer and Krylov 2000;Hidari et al 2008) with an effectiveness that depends on the sugar composition, main chain length, sulfation level and sulfate pattern (Ghosh et al 2009;Jiao et al 2011). As shown in Table 1, the inhibition of influenza A/PR/8/34 virus by algal polysaccharides varied depending on the algae species.…”

Anticancer Activity of Sulfated Polysaccharides Isolated from the Antarctic Red Seaweed Iridaea cordata

“…Typically the sulfated galactans are linear polymers of alternating 3-linked β-D-galactopyranose and 4-linked α-galactopyranose units. The latter residue is found in the L-configuration in the agars but in the D-configuration in carrageenans (Jiao et al 2011). The hydroxyl groups in the polysaccharides are methylated, sulfated, or replaced by single monosaccharides.…”

“…According to sulfation patterns and the presence of 3,6-anhydro-α-galactopyranose in place of α-galactopyranose, carrageenans can be classified into 15 different classes (Lahaye 2001;Usov 2011). These classes of polysaccharides have been used widely in the food industry as gelling and thickening agents (Dhargalkar and Verlecar 2009;Jiao et al 2011;Usov 2011). In addition, they display a wide range of biological activities, which may be useful for medical application.…”

Carbon Paste Electrodes Modified with Sulfated Polysaccharide Porphyran: Potential Applications in the Electroanalytical Determination of Sulfonamides

“…Além de boa sensibilidade, o EPC/PFR mostrou vantagens como estabilidade, reprodutibilidade e também facilidade de preparação, o que permitiu que o mesmo fosse eficientemente aplicado para a determinação dos fármacos estudados em amostras reais de medicamentos. 2,3 Suas propriedades biológicas e físico-químicas tem despertado especial atenção de pesquisadores, uma vez que foram relatadas promissoras aplicações em terapias anticoagulantes, antioxidantes, antitumorais, anti-inflamatórias, antialérgicas e antivirais. 1,4-6 Além destas propriedades farmacológicas atrativas, tais polissacarídeos encontram também aplicações em diversas áreas da biotecnologia e da engenharia.…”