National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, NIOF, Alexandria 21556, Egypt.
Pharmaceutical Sciences Department, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
Molecules. 2020 Sep 25;25(19):4411. doi: 10.3390/molecules25194411.
Red Seaweed "Rhodophyta" are an important group of macroalgae that include approximately 7000 species. They are a rich source of structurally diverse bioactive constituents, including protein, sulfated polysaccharides, pigments, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds with nutritional, medical, and industrial importance. Polysaccharides are the main components in the cell wall of red algae and represent about 40-50% of the dry weight, which are extensively utilized in industry and pharmaceutical compounds, due to their thickening and gelling properties. The hydrocolloids galactans carrageenans and agars are the main red seaweed cell wall polysaccharides, which had broad-spectrum therapeutic characters. Generally, the chemical contents of seaweed are different according to the algal species, growth stage, environment, and external conditions, e.g., the temperature of the water, light intensity, nutrient concentrations in the ecosystem. Economically, they can be recommended as a substitute source for natural ingredients that contribute to a broad range of bioactivities like cancer therapy, anti-inflammatory agents, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory. This review touches on the main points of the pharmaceutical applications of red seaweed, as well as the exploitation of their specific compounds and secondary metabolites with vital roles.
红海藻类“红藻门”是一类重要的大型藻类，约包含 7000 个物种。它们是具有结构多样性的生物活性成分的丰富来源，包括蛋白质、硫酸多糖、色素、多不饱和脂肪酸、维生素、矿物质和酚类化合物，具有营养、医疗和工业重要性。多糖是红藻细胞壁的主要成分，占干重的 40-50%，由于其增稠和胶凝特性，广泛应用于工业和药物化合物中。水凝胶类半乳聚糖卡拉胶和琼脂是红海藻细胞壁多糖的主要成分，具有广谱的治疗特性。一般来说，海藻的化学含量因藻类种类、生长阶段、环境和外部条件而异，例如水的温度、光照强度、生态系统中的营养浓度。从经济角度来看，它们可以被推荐为天然成分的替代品，这些天然成分具有广泛的生物活性，如癌症治疗、抗炎剂和乙酰胆碱酯酶抑制剂。本综述涉及红海藻在药物应用方面的主要要点，以及对其具有重要作用的特定化合物和次生代谢物的开发利用。
