Das Lehrgebiet BioVT publiziert zusammen mit Partnern aus Ägypten und Korea einen Beitrag zum Thema "Sulfated Galactofucans: An Outstanding Class of Fucoidans with Promising Bioactivities" in Marine Drugs.

Fucoidans encompass versatile and heterogenous sulfated biopolysaccharides of marine origin, specifically brown algae and marine invertebrates. Their chemistry and bioactivities have been extensively investigated in the last few decades. The reported studies revealed diverse chemical skeletons at which _L-fucose is the main sugar monomer. However, other sugars, i.e., galactose, mannose, etc., have been identified to be interspersed forming several heteropolymers, including galactofucans/fucogalactans (G-fucoidans), and others. Particularly, sulfated galactofucans are associated with rich chemistry contributing to more promising bioactivities than fucans and other marine polysaccharides. The previous reports in the last 20 years showed that G-fucoidans derived from Undaria pinnatifida were the most studied, 21 bioactivities were investigated, especially antitumor and antiviral, and unique seven biomedical applications compared to other marine polysaccharides were demonstrated. Hence, the current article reviewed specifically the biogenic sources, chemistry, and outstanding bioactivities of G-fucoidans providing the opportunity to discover novel drug candidates. 

A. Zayed, J. Avila-Peltroche, M. El-Aasr, R. Ulber; Sulfated Galactofucans: An Outstanding Class of Fucoidans with Promising Bioactivities; Marine Drugs (2022) https://doi.org/10.3390/md20070412