Abstract
There is increasing interest in the use of marine algae as functional food additives for improving human health. Enteromorpha (Ulva) prolifera (E. prolifera) is a seaweed green alga (Chlorophyta) that contains many bioactive compounds, of which polysaccharide is the main component. With the advancement of technology in the methods of extraction and analysis, recent studies in in vitro and animals model showed that polysaccharides derived from E. prolifera exert various biological activities, such as gut microbiota modulation, immunomodulation, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and hypolipidemic. Research evidence has shown that methods of extraction and molecular modification, such as degradation, carboxymethylation, and sulfonation could alter the biological activities of polysaccharides. Therefore, in this review, we discussed the different extraction techniques, structural-activity relationship, and health benefits of sulfated polysaccharides derived from E. prolifera, and suggested future research avenues. This review helps to advance the extraction techniques and promote the application of marine algae polysaccharides as functional food and therapeutic agent.
Highlights
Algae are plants of marine benthoses, which can be classified as unicellular microalgae and macroalgae
The results showed that E. prolifera polysaccharide could modulate intestinal microbiota [80]
Enteromorpha prolifera is a green alga with worldwide distribution, which has been used as a medicine and food
Summary
Algae are plants of marine benthoses, which can be classified as unicellular microalgae and macroalgae. The growth and distribution of green algae (Chlorophyta) in the marine environment as a green tide have been reported worldwide [4,5,6,7]. This macroalgal bloom causes a devastating effect on the marine ecosystem due to shading, biomass decomposition, and anoxia [8], in aquatic microbial ecosystem shift [9], and macrofauna inhibition [10]. Collective evidence has shown that polysaccharides are the main biologically active molecules of E. prolifera [11] These polysaccharides are found in the algae as a cell wall structural component. In this review, we summarized the extraction methods, structural-activity relationship, biological activities, and health benefits of E. prolifera polysaccharides and pointed out future research directions
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