Anti‐ulcer effects and biological activities of polysaccharides from marine algae

The nutritional value of marine algae has long been recognized in the Orient, but in the Western world, the use of seaweeds for human consumption is limited: they exist as additives and so-called health foods. In contrast, more seaweed than ever before is being eaten in Japan, China and Korea. Seaweeds are low in fats, and contain vitamins and minerals [1,2]. They also contain a large quantity of chemically characteristic mucilaginous polysaccharides such as agar, carrageenans, alginate, laminaran, rhamnan sulfate and fucoidan. These polysaccharides differ from those in terrestrial vegetables and provide dietary fiber: the human body does not digest them [3]. These polysaccharides are used in the food and pharmaceutical industries and have recently been demonstrated to have some unique biological activities. In this paper, we review the structure and function of marine algal polysaccharides, especially the anti-ulcer effect of fucoidan.