Advances in structural modification of fucoidans, ulvans, and carrageenans to improve their biological functions for potential therapeutic application.

Abstract

Marine sulfated polysaccharides constitute a class of bioactive polymers commonly found in cell walls of macroalgae. Among these macromolecular substances, fucoidans, ulvans, and carrageenans have attracted considerable attention providing interesting therapeutic properties affected by a combination of various structural factors, such as sulfation pattern, molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and glycosidic linkages. Remarkably, chemical modification, enzymatic hydrolysis and crosslinking are promising approaches for developing the application of these polysaccharides through enhancement and/or addition of new biological properties. This paper reviews the recent advances on these structure modification methods on fucoidans, ulvans, and carrageenans. The physical, chemical and biological properties influenced by the addition of functional groups are also discussed. In addition, an overview of specific enzymes selectively producing oligosaccharides with improved bioactivities as well as ionic and covalent cross-linking strategies are provided. These targeted methods have the potential to develop novel compounds with outstanding biodegradability and biocompatibility, along with low toxicity suitable for diverse applications in biomedical fields, including drug delivery.