Sulfated Galactofucans: An Outstanding Class of Fucoidans with Promising Bioactivities |
| |
Authors: | Ahmed Zayed Jose Avila-Peltroche Mona El-Aasr Roland Ulber |
| |
Affiliation: | 1.Institute of Bioprocess Engineering, Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße 49, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany;2.Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Tanta University, El-Guish Street (Medical Campus), Tanta 31527, Egypt;3.Department of Life Science, Chosun University, Gwangju 61452, Korea; |
| |
Abstract: | Fucoidans encompass versatile and heterogeneous sulfated biopolysaccharides of marine origin, specifically brown algae and marine invertebrates. Their chemistry and bioactivities have been extensively investigated in the last few decades. The reported studies revealed diverse chemical skeletons in which l-fucose is the main sugar monomer. However, other sugars, i.e., galactose, mannose, etc., have been identified to be interspersed, forming several heteropolymers, including galactofucans/fucogalactans (G-fucoidans). Particularly, sulfated galactofucans are associated with rich chemistry contributing to more promising bioactivities than fucans and other marine polysaccharides. The previous reports in the last 20 years showed that G-fucoidans derived from Undaria pinnatifida were the most studied; 21 bioactivities were investigated, especially antitumor and antiviral activities, and unique biomedical applications compared to other marine polysaccharides were demonstrated. Hence, the current article specifically reviews the biogenic sources, chemistry, and outstanding bioactivities of G-fucoidans providing the opportunity to discover novel drug candidates. |
| |
Keywords: | bioactives brown seaweeds fucoidans heteropolysaccharides structural features sulfated galactofucans |
|
|