43
Alginic acid or alginate (Fig. 4.1) is the common name given to a family of
linear polysaccharides containing 1,4-linked β-D-mannuronic and ɑ-L-guluronic
acid residues arranged in a non-regular, block -wise order along the chain (Ferreira
et al. 2012). Alginates usually have highly different physicochemical heterogeneity which can affect their quality and lead to different applications. Besides, the
ability of alginate produced by brown seaweed to chelate metal ions (particularly
those of sodium and calcium) and to form highly viscous solutions, have made
them be of great use in the food and drug industries (Gupta and Abu-Ghannam
2011). The alginate gel that is formed by the induction of divalent cations have
potentials for wound healing, therapeutic agents, protein delivery, and cell transplantation (De Leon-Peralta et al. 2016; Jain and Bar-Shalom 2014; Pipeleers and
Keymeulen 2016).
Fucoidans (Fig. 4.2) are branched polysaccharide sulfate ester with L-fucose
4-sulfate building blocks as the major component. Their backbone contains
α-linked – l-fucose residues with various substitutions. These polysaccharides are
mainly found in brown seaweeds, even though their structures differ among various
brown seaweed species (Ferreira et al. 2012; Gupta and Abu-Ghannam 2011).
Laminaran (or laminarin) appears to be the food reserve of all brown algae. It is
the major sugar found in the Laminaria species and its structure and composition
differ from one algae species to another (Gupta and Abu-Ghannam 2011). The
structure of Laminarin contains β(1 → 3)-glucan with β(1 → 6)-branches and its
Table 4.3 Examples of bioactive carbohydrates from higher animals and potential health benefits
Bioactive
carbohydrate
Sources
Potential health benefits
Chitin and
Chitosan
Crustaceans, insect cuticles,
cell walls of fungi, shells of
mollusks
Bacteriostatic and fungi static influences,
antiviral, drug encapsulation, fat absorber,
and wound dressing materials (Paul et al.
2015; Younes and Rinaudo 2015)
Heparin/Heparan
sulfate
Golgi of animal cells
Anticoagulating, signaling and development,
antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and
anticancer activities (Nikitovic et al. 2014)
Hyaluronic acid Connective, epithelial, and
neural tissues of animals
Chondroprotective effects,
immunomodulatory (Lam et al. 2014)
Chondroitin
sulfate/dermatan
sulfate
Animal granules of mast cell,
animal tissues from porcine
intestine, bovine trachea, and
shark cartilage
Anti-inflammatory, modulating cellular
growth and signaling, maintaining the
extracellular matrix Integrity (Zhang et al.
2014a; Zhao et al. 2015b)
Fig. 4.1 Alginate
4 Bioactive Carbohydrates, Biological Activities, and Sources
Alginic acid or alginate (Fig. 4.1) is the common name given to a family of
linear polysaccharides containing 1,4-linked β-D-mannuronic and ɑ-L-guluronic
acid residues arranged in a non-regular, block -wise order along the chain (Ferreira
et al. 2012). Alginates usually have highly different physicochemical heterogeneity which can affect their quality and lead to different applications. Besides, the
ability of alginate produced by brown seaweed to chelate metal ions (particularly
those of sodium and calcium) and to form highly viscous solutions, have made
them be of great use in the food and drug industries (Gupta and Abu-Ghannam
2011). The alginate gel that is formed by the induction of divalent cations have
potentials for wound healing, therapeutic agents, protein delivery, and cell transplantation (De Leon-Peralta et al. 2016; Jain and Bar-Shalom 2014; Pipeleers and
Keymeulen 2016).
Fucoidans (Fig. 4.2) are branched polysaccharide sulfate ester with L-fucose
4-sulfate building blocks as the major component. Their backbone contains
α-linked – l-fucose residues with various substitutions. These polysaccharides are
mainly found in brown seaweeds, even though their structures differ among various
brown seaweed species (Ferreira et al. 2012; Gupta and Abu-Ghannam 2011).
Laminaran (or laminarin) appears to be the food reserve of all brown algae. It is
the major sugar found in the Laminaria species and its structure and composition
differ from one algae species to another (Gupta and Abu-Ghannam 2011). The
structure of Laminarin contains β(1 → 3)-glucan with β(1 → 6)-branches and its
Table 4.3 Examples of bioactive carbohydrates from higher animals and potential health benefits
Bioactive
carbohydrate
Sources
Potential health benefits
Chitin and
Chitosan
Crustaceans, insect cuticles,
cell walls of fungi, shells of
mollusks
Bacteriostatic and fungi static influences,
antiviral, drug encapsulation, fat absorber,
and wound dressing materials (Paul et al.
2015; Younes and Rinaudo 2015)
Heparin/Heparan
sulfate
Golgi of animal cells
Anticoagulating, signaling and development,
antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and
anticancer activities (Nikitovic et al. 2014)
Hyaluronic acid Connective, epithelial, and
neural tissues of animals
Chondroprotective effects,
immunomodulatory (Lam et al. 2014)
Chondroitin
sulfate/dermatan
sulfate
Animal granules of mast cell,
animal tissues from porcine
intestine, bovine trachea, and
shark cartilage
Anti-inflammatory, modulating cellular
growth and signaling, maintaining the
extracellular matrix Integrity (Zhang et al.
2014a; Zhao et al. 2015b)
Fig. 4.1 Alginate
4 Bioactive Carbohydrates, Biological Activities, and Sources