Medicinal benefits of sulfated polysaccharides from sea vegetables.

The cell walls of sea vegetables or marine algae are rich in sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) such as fucoidans in brown algae, carrageenans in red algae, and ulvans in green algae. These SPs exhibit various biological activities such as anticoagulant, antiviral, antioxidative, and anticancer activities with potential health benefits. Therefore, SPs derived from sea vegetables have great potential in further development as nutraceuticals and medicinal foods. This chapter presents an overview of biological activities and potential medicinal benefits of SPs derived from sea vegetables.