Structural Analysis of Fucoidans
Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: Sulfated polysaccharides of brown algae (“fucoidans”) constitute a wide variety of biopolymers from simple sulfated fucans up to complex heteropolysaccharides composed of several neutral monosaccharides, uronic acid and sulfate. The increased interest in this class of polysaccharides is explained by their high and versatile biological activities, and hence, by their possible use in new drug design. Structural analysis of several fucoidans demonstrates that their biological properties are determined not only by charge density, but also by fine chemical structure, although distinct correlations between structure and biological activity cannot be formulated at present. The aim of this review is to describe the methods of structural analysis currently used in fucoidan chemistry, and to discuss some new information on the structures of fucoidans presented in recent publications.
Source: Natural Product Communications
Authors: Maria I. Bilan, Anatolii I. Usov
Institution: N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry
Language: English
Subfield: Aquatic Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2952035937