Fucoxanthin and Its Variants from Seaweeds of the Arabian Gulf: Insight into Bioactivity, UV-Protective Properties, Stability and Cosmetic Potential
- 1Coastal and Marine Resources Program, Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 1638, Salmiya 22017, Kuwait
- 2Petroleum Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Safat 13109, Kuwait
- 3Spectral Service AG, Emil-Hoffmann-Str. 33, 50996 Cologne, Germany
Abstract
The pigment profile of seaweeds thriving in the Arabian Gulf, characterized by high temperature, salinity, and high UV index, showed a high proportion of fucoxanthin, indicating its potential role in photoprotection. To investigate this, pure fucoxanthin was isolated from 10 seaweed species that grow under prevailing extreme conditions, and its antioxidant, UV-protective, anti-elastase, anti-collagenase and anti-tyrosinase properties were evaluated. Significant interspecies variation was observed in both yield and bioactivity, with seaweeds surviving extreme summer conditions exhibiting higher fucoxanthin content and enhanced UV-protective properties. Fucoxanthin isolated from Canistrocarpus cervicornis, Feldmannia mitchelliae, Padina gymnospora, and Sargassum angustifolium showed high antioxidant, anti-elastase, anti-collagenase, anti-tyrosinase and UV- protection properties. Structural characterization by NMR revealed variations in the R group among the fucoxanthin isolates. Fucoxanthin derivatives bearing R group –CH2OCO(CH2)4CH3 (hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin) demonstrated superior bioactivity compared to those containing –CH2OCO(CH2)2CH3 (butanoyloxyfucoxanthin) and parent compound containing –CH3 (fucoxanthin), indicating a structure–activity relationship. Stability studies have shown that fucoxanthin remains stable at temperatures up to 70 °C and is resistant to oxidizing agents such as H2O2. However, it is susceptible to high-intensity artificial UV-radiation and is highly sensitive to pH changes above 5. Collectively, these findings highlight the adaptive structural diversity of fucoxanthin from seaweeds of the Arabian Gulf and emphasize the importance of species selection in maximizing bioactivity.
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BibTeX
@article{habeebullah2026fucoxanthin,
title = {{Fucoxanthin and Its Variants from Seaweeds of the Arabian Gulf: Insight into Bioactivity, UV-Protective Properties, Stability and Cosmetic Potential}},
author = {Sabeena Farvin Koduvayur Habeebullah and Surendraraj Alagarsamy and Salim Ok and Bernd Diehl and Mustafa Al-Shamali and Jessy Sebastian and Saja Fakhraldeen and Aws Al Ghunaim and Turki Al Said and Faiza Al-Yamani},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31213878},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3878},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fucoxanthin and Its Variants from Seaweeds of the Arabian Gulf: Insight into Bioactivity, UV-Protective Properties, Stability and Cosmetic Potential
AU - Sabeena Farvin Koduvayur Habeebullah
AU - Surendraraj Alagarsamy
AU - Salim Ok
AU - Bernd Diehl
AU - Mustafa Al-Shamali
AU - Jessy Sebastian
AU - Saja Fakhraldeen
AU - Aws Al Ghunaim
AU - Turki Al Said
AU - Faiza Al-Yamani
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/27
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31213878
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3878
AB - The pigment profile of seaweeds thriving in the Arabian Gulf, characterized by high temperature, salinity, and high UV index, showed a high proportion of fucoxanthin, indicating its potential role in photoprotection. To investigate this, pure fucoxanthin was isolated from 10 seaweed species that grow under prevailing extreme conditions, and its antioxidant, UV-protective, anti-elastase, anti-collagenase and anti-tyrosinase properties were evaluated. Significant interspecies variation was observed in both yield and bioactivity, with seaweeds surviving extreme summer conditions exhibiting higher fucoxanthin content and enhanced UV-protective properties. Fucoxanthin isolated from Canistrocarpus cervicornis, Feldmannia mitchelliae, Padina gymnospora, and Sargassum angustifolium showed high antioxidant, anti-elastase, anti-collagenase, anti-tyrosinase and UV- protection properties. Structural characterization by NMR revealed variations in the R group among the fucoxanthin isolates. Fucoxanthin derivatives bearing R group –CH2OCO(CH2)4CH3 (hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin) demonstrated superior bioactivity compared to those containing –CH2OCO(CH2)2CH3 (butanoyloxyfucoxanthin) and parent compound containing –CH3 (fucoxanthin), indicating a structure–activity relationship. Stability studies have shown that fucoxanthin remains stable at temperatures up to 70 °C and is resistant to oxidizing agents such as H2O2. However, it is susceptible to high-intensity artificial UV-radiation and is highly sensitive to pH changes above 5. Collectively, these findings highlight the adaptive structural diversity of fucoxanthin from seaweeds of the Arabian Gulf and emphasize the importance of species selection in maximizing bioactivity.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -