Abstract
Bioactive compounds with diverse chemical structures play a significant role in disease prevention and maintenance of physiological functions. Due to the increase in industrial demand for new biosourced molecules, several types of biomasses are being exploited for the identification of bioactive metabolites and techno-functional biomolecules that are suitable for the subsequent uses in cosmetic, food and pharmaceutical fields. Among the various biomasses available, macroalgae are gaining popularity because of their potential nutraceutical and health benefits. Such health effects are delivered by specific diterpenes, pigments (fucoxanthin, phycocyanin, and carotenoids), bioactive peptides and polysaccharides. Abundant and recent studies have identified valuable biological activities of native algae polysaccharides, but also of their derivatives, including oligosaccharides and (bio)chemically modified polysaccharides. However, only a few of them can be industrially developed and open up new markets of active molecules, extracts or ingredients. In this respect, the health and nutraceutical claims associated with marine algal bioactive polysaccharides are summarized and comprehensively discussed in this review.
Highlights
Promising biologically active compounds isolated from natural sources have revealed proven activities in the cosmetic, medical and pharmaceutical fields
This review focuses on marine seaweed polysaccharides and gives a recent overview of their structural, physicochemical and biological features with potential health benefits
They are mainly derived from the cell walls of brown seaweeds and some of them are produced as exopolysaccharides by some Pseudomonas and Azetobacter species [80]
Summary
Promising biologically active compounds isolated from natural sources have revealed proven activities in the cosmetic, medical and pharmaceutical fields. Regarding the production of these bioactive substances, algae are considered the most abundant source of polysaccharides, which may be sulfated (fucoidans, carrageenans, galactans, and agars) and non-sulfated (alginates, laminaran) [6]. These high molar mass biopolymers (10 to 1000 kDa) have extremely varied structures and are mainly made up of osidic unit sequences (pentoses and/or hexoses) linked by O-glycosidic bonds. It was reported that these polymers can be linear (alginates, cellulose), and branched (fucoidans, sulfated galactans) They can be substituted by proteins and by organic groups such as acetate, lactate, pyruvate and succinate or inorganic groups like phosphate, sulfate and amine. This review focuses on marine seaweed polysaccharides and gives a recent overview of their structural, physicochemical and biological features with potential health benefits
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
