An Insight into the Health Benefits of Sodium Alginate and its Derivatives

Abstract

Owing to safety and unique properties, alginates are widely used in Biomedicine, food industry and pharmaceutics products. The multifaceted properties of alginate make it a captivating topic for extra scientific exploration in the anti-inflammatory and anti-tumoral areas. This paper describes the biological properties including anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory functions of sodium alginate and its components, mannuronic acid and guluronic acid, as alginate derivatives. However, the wide application of alginates as polysaccharides is limited due to their high molecular weight and low solubility; therefore, its degraded monomers, mannuronic acid and guluronic acid as products of alginate hydrolysate can be a solution in this case. In conclusion, these natural non-toxic, biocompatible, biodegradable, and quite cost-effective materials are totally operative for cancer management and control of inflammation, as their important biological effects and health benefits, in addition to their wide applications in food industry.