Structural characteristics and biological activity of Fucoidans from the brown algae Alaria sp. and Saccharina japonica of different reproductive status.

Structural characteristics and the antitumor activity of fucoidans isolated from vegetative and reproductive tissue of the brown algae Alaria sp. and Saccharina japonica were studied. The reproductive status of the brown algae affected the yield of fucoidans and their structural characteristics.

Sulfated polysaccharides from brown seaweeds Saccharina japonica and Undaria pinnatifida: isolation, structural characteristics, and antitumor activity.

During the last decade brown seaweeds attracted much attention as a source of polysaccharides, namely laminarans, alginic acids, and sulfated polysaccharides-fucoidans, with various structures and biological activities. In this study, sulfated polysaccharides were isolated from brown seaweeds Saccharina japonica (formerly named Laminaria) and Undaria pinnatifida and their antitumor activity was tested against human breast cancer T-47D and melanoma SK-MEL-28 cell lines. The sulfated polysaccharide form S.