Marine Polysaccharides in Pharmaceutical Applications: An Overview

Abstract

The enormous variety of polysaccharides that can be extracted from marine plants and animal organisms or produced by marine bacteria means that the field of marine polysaccharides is constantly evolving. Recent advances in biological techniques allow high levels of polysaccharides of interest to be produced in vitro. Biotechnology is a powerful tool to obtain polysaccharides from a variety of micro-organisms, by controlling the growth conditions in a bioreactor while tailoring the production of biologically active compounds. Following an overview of the current knowledge on marine polysaccharides, with special attention to potential pharmaceutical applications and to more recent progress on the discovering of new polysaccharides with biological appealing characteristics, this review will focus on possible strategies for chemical or physical modification aimed to tailor the final properties of interest.

Controlling of Microbial Growth by Using Cystoseira barbata Extract

“…Phenols have been identified in several algal species as biologically active compounds (Vairappan, et al, 2001). Many compounds of marine algae show anti-bacterial activities as polysaccharide (Laurienzo, 2010), lyengaroside (Ali et al, 2002), polyhydroxy lated fucophlorethol (Sandsdalen et al, 2003), bromophenols (Oh et al, 2008), guaiane sesquiterpene (Chakraborty & Lipton, 2010), lactone malyngolide (Cardelina et al, 1979) cycloeudesmol (Sims et al, 1975), polyphenolic compound (Devi, 2008), halogenated compound (Vairappan, 2003) and quinone metabolite (Horie et al, 2008). Flavonoids comprise a large group of naturally compounds widely distributed in the algae and some of these compounds have been reported to contain various and potent biological activities including anti oxidative tissue protective and tumoristatic effects as well as the inhibition of hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis (Krant et al, 2005;Kim et al, 2007;Matanjun et al, 2008 andVolk, 2009).…”

Marine Microbial Polysaccharides Environmental role and Applications: An Overview

“…Many microbial EPSs produced by such extreme bacteria have unique properties. The bacteria must adopt special metabolic pathways to survive in extreme conditions, and so have better capacity to produce special bioactive compounds, including EPSs, than any other microorganisms (Laurienzo 2010). Halophilic bacteria are just such extremophiles and the properties of their extracellular polysaccharides seem to offer numerous applications in various fields of industry (Margesin and Schinner 2001).…”

Bio-Medical Applications of the Electron-Beam Plasma

“…The plasma-generating gas parameters: the pressure (Pm) and temperature (Tm) of the gas; its chemical composition. 4. The parameters of the dust: dimensions and shape of the dust particles; the dust density, i.e.…”

“…In medicine and pharmaceutics the water-soluble low molecular weight chitosans (less than 10 kDa) are usually required. These substances can be used as immune response-modulating or antibacterial agents, sorbents, radioprotectors, and for the production of microcapsules, thing films, and substrates for cell cultures [3,4]. To produce the low molecular weight chitosans (LMWC) several techniques, including chemical, enzymatic, and radical treatment have been suggested [5].…”

“…due to its high polymerization tendency. Therefore, the alternative techniques for controllable modification of the fibrin-monomer structure should be found to produce peptides with the high antiaggregating activity and without polymerization tendency.The natural renewable biopolymers chitin and, especially, chitosan are very promising for technological and industrial applications such as agriculture, food processing, cosmetics production and others [3,4]. Chitosan, linear heterocopolymers of β-1,4-linked 2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose and 2-acet-amido-2-deoxy-D-glucopyranose units, has many unique biological properties namely high biocompatibility with living tissues, biodegrability, ability to the complexation, and low toxicity.…”