CAS Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.
Curr Pharm Des. 2019;25(11):1163-1171. doi: 10.2174/1381612825666190430111725.
Pyropia (Porphyra), commonly known as nori or laver, is an important food source in many parts of the world. Edible dried Pyropia contains numerous nutrients and biofunctional components, including proteins, vitamins, eicosapentaenoic acid, minerals, carotenoids, mycosporine-like amino acids, and carbohydrate, and one of the compounds which we are interested in is porphyran, a sulfated polysaccharide comprising the hot-water-soluble portion of Pyropia cell walls. Researchers have performed a large number of in-depth studies on the biological activity and potential therapeutic applications of porphyrans and oligoporphyrans.
This mini review aims to provide comprehensive and update overview on the source, extraction, structure, biological activities and structure-activity relationships of porphyrans and oligoporphyrans based on the studies in the past 30 years which were included in Web of Science.
The structure of porphyran has been basically determined given that its straight chain is relatively simple, and the skeleton structure has been described. The extraction methods were simplified continuously, but different extraction methods and post- processing methods still had great influence on the structure and composition of porphyran, so there was no standardized extraction process which can achieve quality control until now. In order to obtain oligoporphyrans, there are a variety of degradation methods, including chemical method, physical method and enzymatic method, but it is worth mentioning that specific degradation enzyme is still unavailable. Studies on the biological and pharmacology properties include antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, anti-cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and drug delivery.
Owing to the therapeutic potential and drug delivery applications, porphyran and oligoporphyrans are expected to be further developed as a medicine against human diseases, as well as a supplement in cosmetics and health products.
紫菜（Pyropia），俗称海苔或紫菜，是世界许多地区的重要食品来源。可食用的干紫菜含有许多营养成分和生物活性成分，包括蛋白质、维生素、二十碳五烯酸、矿物质、类胡萝卜素、菌氨酸类似物和碳水化合物，我们感兴趣的化合物之一是紫菜多糖，一种由紫菜细胞壁热水溶性部分组成的硫酸化多糖。研究人员对紫菜多糖和寡紫菜多糖的生物活性和潜在治疗应用进行了大量深入研究。
本综述旨在根据过去 30 年在 Web of Science 中收录的研究，提供关于紫菜多糖和寡紫菜多糖的来源、提取、结构、生物活性和结构-活性关系的全面和最新概述。
由于紫菜直链相对简单，其骨架结构已基本确定，并对其结构进行了描述。提取方法不断简化，但不同的提取方法和后处理方法对紫菜多糖的结构和组成仍有很大影响，因此到目前为止还没有标准化的提取工艺能够实现质量控制。为了获得寡紫菜多糖，有多种降解方法，包括化学方法、物理方法和酶法，但值得一提的是，仍然缺乏特定的降解酶。生物和药理学性质的研究包括抗氧化、抗肿瘤、抗炎、免疫调节、抗心血管和脑血管疾病以及药物输送。
由于具有治疗潜力和药物输送应用，紫菜多糖和寡紫菜多糖有望进一步开发为治疗人类疾病的药物，以及化妆品和保健品的补充剂。
