Polysaccharides of Algae 71*. Polysaccharides of the Pacific brown alga Alaria marginata

Abstract

The polysaccharide composition in sporophylls of the brown alga Alaria marginata enriched with laminaran and sulfated polysaccharides was studied. It was shown that laminaran molecules had an average degree of polymerization about 30 and consisted mainly of 3-linked β-D-glucopyranose residues, having no more than 10% of 1→6 linkages. The majority of chains (about 60%) were terminated at "reducing" end by mannitol residue. Alginic acid of sporophylls contained mannuronic (M) and guluronic (G) acids residues distributed along the linear polymer molecules as MM, MG, and GG blocks at a ratio of 4: 1: 1. Fucoidan was found to be composed of fucose, galactose, and sulfate as the major constituents, while xylose, mannose, glucuronic acid, and acetate were the minor components. It was shown that fucoidan contained two major components: fucan sulfate, molecules of which are built up of 3-linked fucopyranose residues with branches and sulfate groups at different positions, and fucogalactan, also containing chains of 3-linked fucopyranose residues with branches at positions 4 together with highly branched galactan chains terminated by fucose residues. The fucoidan contained also sulfated glucuronomannan and sulfated glucuronan as minor components.