Polysaccharides: Isolations, Identifications and Applications
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 2132
Special Issue Editors
Interests: marine glycoscience; marine natural products; bioactive polysaccharides; chitosan; pharmacological potential of biomolecules
Interests: marine glycoscience; marine natural products; bioactive polysaccharides; fucoidan; alginate; chitosan; antioxidant activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Polysaccharides are a type of macromolecule that are found in almost all living beings on the planet (except for viruses). These molecules are best known for their structural properties (such as chitin and cellulose) and energetic properties (such as starch and glycogen). However, the study of polysaccharides goes far beyond this. Due to their high biocompatibility, polysaccharides from different sources are being evaluated as bioactive agents for various conditions, and some are already being used as drugs. One example is heparin, a sulfated polysaccharide that has been used as an anticoagulant drug for over 80 years. Moreover, polysaccharides are structurally diverse in terms of their size, type of linkage between monosaccharides, presence of branching, types of substituents, and other factors, all of which influence their activities. The presence of several hydroxyl groups in polysaccharides, as well as their solubility in water and other solvents, makes them targets for chemical modifications. These modifications increase their potential as bioactive molecules and enable polysaccharides and their derivative molecules to be used to produce different biomaterials, including nanomaterials. In recent years, bioinformatics studies with polysaccharides have also been developed, which is increasing the biotechnological potential of these molecules.
In this scenario, this Special Issue presents unpublished studies on natural polysaccharides and their derivatives, as well as review articles on this topic. As guest editors for this Special Issue, we would like to invite you to present your data regarding the study of polysaccharides obtained from different organisms, as well as their derivatives. We welcome studies ranging from the isolation and purification of these molecules to their structural characterization, evaluation of biological, pharmacological, nutraceutical, and biotechnological properties, and proposition of mechanisms of action, including in silico studies.
Dr. Rafael Barros Gomes Câmara
Dr. Hugo Alexandre Oliveira Rocha
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- bioactive polysaccharides
- polysaccharide-based biomaterials
- biotechnological application
- bioinformatics
- chitin and chitosan
- glycosaminoglycans
- neutral polysaccharides
- acid polysaccharides
