Affiliation:
1. G.B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pr. 100-letya Vladivostoka 159, 690022 Vladivostok, Russia
2. A.V. Zhurmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Palchevskogo 17, 690041 Vladivostok, Russia
Abstract
Microalgae are abundant components of the biosphere rich in low molecular weight carbohydrate-containing natural products (glycoconjugates). Glycoconjugates take part in the processes of photosynthesis, provide producers with important biological molecules, influence other organisms and are known by their biological activities. Some of them, for example, glycosylated toxins and arsenicals, are detrimental and can be transferred via food chains into higher organisms, including humans. So far, the studies on a series of particular groups of microalgal glycoconjugates were not comprehensively discussed in special reviews. In this review, a special focus is given to glycoconjugates’ isolation, structure determination, properties and approaches to search for new bioactive metabolites. Analysis of literature data concerning structures, functions and biological activities of ribosylated arsenicals, galactosylated and sulfoquinovosylated lipids, phosphoglycolipids, glycoside derivatives of toxins, and other groups of glycoconjugates was carried out and discussed. Recent studies were fundamental in the discovery of a great variety of new carbohydrate-containing metabolites and their biological activities in defining the role of microalgal viral infections in regulating microalgal blooms as well as in the detection of glycoconjugates with potent immunomodulatory properties. Those discoveries support growing interest in these molecules.
Funder
Ministry of Science and Higher Education
Subject
Drug Discovery,Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (miscellaneous),Pharmaceutical Science