Marine Sulfated Polysaccharides: Preventive and Therapeutic Effects on Metabolic Syndrome: A Review

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome is the pathological basis of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. With the prevalence of modern lifestyles, the incidence of metabolic syndrome has risen rapidly. In recent years, marine sulfate polysaccharides (MSPs) have shown positive effects in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome, and they mainly come from seaweeds and marine animals. MSPs are rich in sulfate and have stronger biological activity compared with terrestrial polysaccharides. MSPs can alleviate metabolic syndrome by regulating glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism. In addition, MSPs prevent and treat metabolic syndrome by interacting with gut microbiota. MSPs can be degraded by gut microbes to produce metabolites such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and free sulfate and affect the composition of gut microbiota. The difference between MSPs and other polysaccharides lies in the sulfation pattern and sulfate content, therefore, which is very important for anti-metabolic syndrome activity of MSPs. This review summarizes the latest findings on effects of MSPs on metabolic syndrome, mechanisms of MSPs in treatment/prevention of metabolic syndrome, interactions between MSPs and gut microbiota, and the role of sulfate group and sulfation pattern in MSPs activity. However, more clinical trials are needed to confirm the potential preventive and therapeutic effects on human body. It may be a better choice to develop new functional foods containing MSPs for dietary intervention in metabolic syndrome.

Pigment Composition of Nine Brown Algae from the Iberian Northwestern Coastline: Influence of the Extraction Solvent

“…Xanthophylls were the most prevalent pigments in species AN, FS, LS, PC and UP (Table 1), fucoxanthin being the compound with the highest concentration, specifically in the ethanolic extracts of LS and the chloroform extracts of UP ranging ~3.9 mg•g −1 dw. There is wide evidence reporting that fucoxanthin is the most abundant pigment in brown algae [16], which supports the experimental results obtained. Indeed, fucoxanthin is the only pigment present in all extracts from all species, agreeing with the previous literature that admits this pigment as characteristic of brown algae [19].…”

“…With the aim of comparing our results with those by other authors, Table 2 includes the pigments previously extracted from these algae, using different extraction solvents and determination In addition to chlorophylls, carotenoids are also found in the extracts of brown algae to a greater extent, being represented by xanthophylls and, secondarily, by carotenes. This prevalence of xanthophylls is a characteristic feature of brown algae, which are responsible not only for their coloration but also for most of their biological activities, together with polysaccharides [15][16][17]22]. A total of seven carotenoids, six xanthophylls (compounds X1-X6) and one carotene (compound B1) were reported in brown algae extracts (Table 1).…”

“…In consequence, these results show that ethanol is a very efficient solvent to be used in the extraction of algal samples, as it can dissolve a heterogeneous range of chemical components. In this sense, ethanol has been reported to efficiently extract polar compounds, such as proteins and derived molecules, as well as acting as a precipitating agent of polysaccharides, which constitute the highest proportion of chemical constituents in algae [15][16][17]21]. Indeed, the precipitating ability of ethanol is very convenient to avoid the presence of interferences during its analytical determination.…”

“…Moreover, in addition to their roles as colorants, some pigments have also been reported to exhibit additional properties as health-enhancing compounds, showing a beneficial impact on human chronic disorders, such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular, inflammatory, neurodegenerative and immune diseases, as it was determined for fucoxanthin, zeaxanthin and astaxanthin [14]. In addition to pigments, the economical and biological value of brown algae is also supported by the production of fucoidan, the major polysaccharide found in these species, which has been recently recognized as a promising phytoconstituent thanks to its associated gastronomical, pharmaceutical and bioactive properties [15][16][17]. In this sense, the re-valorization of brown seaweed pigments is a promising strategy to incorporate these underexploited natural resources into a myriad of applications in different sectors.…”

The Regulatory Roles of Polysaccharides and Ferroptosis-Related Phytochemicals in Liver Diseases

“…Polysaccharides have a variety of biological and pharmacological activities, especially in treating diseases, which have been summarized in several recent reviews. For example, polysaccharides have been reported to play protective roles in metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases due to their activities in glucose and lipid metabolism regulation and antioxidant and anti-inflammation activities [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Other studies revealed algal polysaccharides killing tumor cells via apoptosis while reducing the adverse effect of chemotherapy [ 13 ].…”