Fucoidan and alginate from brown seaweeds: extraction, structural diversity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and biomedical applications
6 affiliations
- 1Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University
- 2Molecular Cell Biology Unit, Division of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tanta University
- 3School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University
- 4Biochemistry Division, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University
- 5Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Menoufia University
- 6Biology Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU)
Abstract
Brown seaweeds are among the richest marine sources of structurally diverse polysaccharides, especially fucoidan and alginate, which have attracted significant attention as multifunctional biomaterials for pharmaceutical, biomedical, and regenerative medicine applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of extraction and purification methods, including conventional chemical, enzymatic, microwave-assisted, and ultrasound-assisted techniques, discussing how these methods affect yield, purity, molecular weight distribution, sulfation patterns, and structural integrity. An in-depth examination of the chemical structure of fucoidan and alginate highlights the importance of monosaccharide composition, sulfation degree, M/G ratio, molecular weight, and block arrangement in influencing bioactivity, gelation, biodegradability, and interactions with biological systems. The review thoroughly evaluates biocompatibility and biodegradation mechanisms, focusing on the roles of impurities, crosslinking density, oxidation levels, enzymatic degradation pathways, and environmental factors. It also summarizes recent advances in fucoidan- and alginate-based formulations, including hydrogels, nanoparticles, films, nanofibers, microspheres, sponges, injectable gels, and composite scaffolds, as well as key drug delivery mechanisms like ionotropic gelation, diffusion-controlled release, pH-responsiveness, mucoadhesion, and stimuli-responsive behaviors. By combining structural insights with emerging biomedical applications, this review highlights the remarkable versatility of fucoidan and alginate as next-generation marine biomaterials and explores their expanding potential in drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing, and multifunctional therapeutic systems.
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BibTeX
@article{elsheekh2026fucoidan,
title = {{Fucoidan and alginate from brown seaweeds: extraction, structural diversity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and biomedical applications}},
author = {Mostafa Mohamed El-Sheekh and Samar Sami Alkafaas and Eman Bases and Feifei Zhu and Xu Yan and Wesam E. Yousuf and Shimaa M. El Shafay and Rania A. El‐Shenody and Amira Mohamed Abu-Resha and Alaa E. Etman and Dorya I. Essa and Abdullah Antar Saber and Shuhao Huo},
journal = {Frontiers in Plant Science},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.3389/fpls.2026.1845395},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1845395},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fucoidan and alginate from brown seaweeds: extraction, structural diversity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and biomedical applications
AU - Mostafa Mohamed El-Sheekh
AU - Samar Sami Alkafaas
AU - Eman Bases
AU - Feifei Zhu
AU - Xu Yan
AU - Wesam E. Yousuf
AU - Shimaa M. El Shafay
AU - Rania A. El‐Shenody
AU - Amira Mohamed Abu-Resha
AU - Alaa E. Etman
AU - Dorya I. Essa
AU - Abdullah Antar Saber
AU - Shuhao Huo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/10
JO - Frontiers in Plant Science
DO - 10.3389/fpls.2026.1845395
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1845395
AB - Brown seaweeds are among the richest marine sources of structurally diverse polysaccharides, especially fucoidan and alginate, which have attracted significant attention as multifunctional biomaterials for pharmaceutical, biomedical, and regenerative medicine applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of extraction and purification methods, including conventional chemical, enzymatic, microwave-assisted, and ultrasound-assisted techniques, discussing how these methods affect yield, purity, molecular weight distribution, sulfation patterns, and structural integrity. An in-depth examination of the chemical structure of fucoidan and alginate highlights the importance of monosaccharide composition, sulfation degree, M/G ratio, molecular weight, and block arrangement in influencing bioactivity, gelation, biodegradability, and interactions with biological systems. The review thoroughly evaluates biocompatibility and biodegradation mechanisms, focusing on the roles of impurities, crosslinking density, oxidation levels, enzymatic degradation pathways, and environmental factors. It also summarizes recent advances in fucoidan- and alginate-based formulations, including hydrogels, nanoparticles, films, nanofibers, microspheres, sponges, injectable gels, and composite scaffolds, as well as key drug delivery mechanisms like ionotropic gelation, diffusion-controlled release, pH-responsiveness, mucoadhesion, and stimuli-responsive behaviors. By combining structural insights with emerging biomedical applications, this review highlights the remarkable versatility of fucoidan and alginate as next-generation marine biomaterials and explores their expanding potential in drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing, and multifunctional therapeutic systems.
SN - 1664-462X
ER -