Extraction and Bioactivity assessment of Fucoidan from Brown seaweed

Fucoidan is a term used for a class of sulfated, fucose rich, polysaccharides extracted from brown seaweeds. These fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs) principally consist of a backbone of (1→3)- and (1→4)- α-linked -L-fucopyranose residues, that may be organized in stretches of (1→3)-α-fucan or of alternating α(1→3)- and α(1→4)-bonded L-fucopyranose residues with sulfate on C-2 or C-4 and rarely on C-3. A range of biological activities have been attributed to FCSPs including anti-tumoral, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory,and notably anticoagulant effects. Therefore special interest for potential pharmaceutical, medical, cosmetics and food applications of FCSPs have recently directed into utilization of brown seaweeds as a source of FCSPs and/or Fucoidan.
Keyword: Fucoidan, extraction, seaweed, anti-cancer, bioactivity