Pharmacological and natural products diversity of the brown algae genus Sargassum

Abstract

Sargassum (F. Sargassaceae) is an important seaweed excessively distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Different species of Sargassum have folk applications in human nutrition and are considered a rich source of vitamins, carotenoids, proteins, and minerals. Many bioactive compounds chemically classified as terpenoids, sterols, sulfated polysaccharides, polyphenols, sargaquinoic acids, sargachromenol, and pheophytin were isolated from different Sargassum species. These isolated compounds and/or extracts exhibit diverse biological activities, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-microbial, anti-tumor, fibrinolytic, immune-modulatory, anti-coagulant, hepatoprotective, and anti-viral activities. This review covers the literature from 1974 to 2020 on the genus Sargassum, and reveal the active components together with their biological activities according to their structure to create a base for additional studies on the clinical applications of Sargassum.

Fig. 1. Sargassum sanyaense from Hurghada City coast line, Red Sea (Egypt).

Fig. 2. Chemical structures of compounds 1–24.

Fig. 3. Chemical structures of compounds 21–44.

Fig. 4. Chemical structures of compounds 45–66.

Fig. 5. Chemical structures of compounds 67–97.

Fig. 6. Chemical structures of compounds 99–108.

Fig. 7. Chemical structures of compounds 109–127.

Fig. 8. Chemical structures of compounds 128–141.

Fig. 9. Chemical structures of compounds 142–162.

Fig. 10. Chemical structures of compounds 163–179.

Fig. 11. Secondary metabolites (A) and their reported bioactivity (B) produced by Sargassum species.