Comparison on characterization and antioxidant activity of exopolysaccharides from two Porphyridium strains

• Published in: Journal of applied phycology Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 2983 - 2994
• Main Authors: Wang, Wei-Nan, Li, Yi, Zhang, Ying, Xiang, Wen-Zhou, Li, Ai-Fen, Li, Tao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01-10-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algae; Anions; Antioxidants; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cosmetics; Ecology; Exopolysaccharides; Free radicals; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Galactose; Glucose; Life Sciences; Medical sciences; Monosaccharides; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Porphyridium; Productivity; Scavenging; Superoxide anions; Xylose; Rhodophyta; Chemical composition; Exopolysaccharides; Antioxidant activity
• ISSN: 0921-8971; 1573-5176
• DOI: 10.1007/s10811-021-02518-9

The exopolysaccharides (EPS) excreted by the unicellular red alga,
Porphyridium
, have potential applications in medicine, cosmetics, and health care products. In the present study, two different
Porphyridium
stains, i.e.,
Porphyridium cruentum
CCALA 415 and
Porphyridium purpureum
FACHB 806, were selected and their EPS productivity, chemical characteristics, and antioxidant activities were compared to determine the potential
Porphyridium
strain with high productivity and antioxidant activity for large-scale EPS production. The EPS productivity of
P
.
cruentum
CCALA 415 (EPS-C) and
P
.
purpureum
FACHB 806 (EPS-P) were 20.81 mg·L
−1
·day
−1
and 63.24 mg·L
−1
·day
−1
, respectively. The sulfate contents of EPS-C and EPS-P were 20.58% and 21.63%, respectively. The monosaccharide of these two EPS consisted of xylose, glucose, and galactose. EPS-C had a higher galactose content (40.16%), whereas EPS-P had a higher xylose content (36.62%), but the glucose content was less for both EPS. Compared with the scavenging superoxide anions and ABTS free radicals, the scavenging hydroxyl free radicals contributed to the antioxidant activity of
Porphyridium
EPS. The scavenging activities of EPS-C and EPS-P were 74.1% and 59.5% (1 mg·mL
−1
), respectively. In conclusion, the EPS of
P
.
purpureum
FACHB 806 exhibited higher potential for application than those of
P
.
cruentum
CCALA 415 due to its high EPS productivity and antioxidant activity.