Biochemical properties of water soluble polysaccharides from photosynthetic marine microalgae Tetraselmis species

Water soluble polysaccharides (WSPs) were isolated from defatted microalgae Tetraselmis sp. KCTC 12432 BP (T.S1) and KCTC 12236 BP (T.S2), and purified by a combination of ethanol precipitation, immobilized metal affinity chromatography and size-exclusion column chromatography. Biochemical properties of WSPs obtained from the supernatant (S 1 and S 2) and purification steps (EP 1 and EP 2) have been elucidated for their potential use as a biologically active material. Oxidative effect on efficiency from the hydrolytic fenton reaction (FS 1 and FS 2) was also employed to assess the WSPs production and biological activity from T.S1 and T.S2, respectively. Antioxidant activity of the purified WSPs from EP 2 toward 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hy-drazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-Azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) di-ammonium salt (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of radical-scavenging showed significant differences depending on the monosaccharide compositions of WSPs. On the other hand, a significant specific tyrosinase inhibitory activity was observed from the WSPs purified from EP 1 (10 ¼mol/g/min) indicating the potential use as a whitening source. The outcomes of our study support the utilization of WSPs from these microalgal species as a potential source of naturally occurring whitening and antioxidants to ease oxidative stresses. According to our knowledge related to microalgal studies, until now this is the first study which demonstrates the significance between primary structure and potential biological activities of WSPs purified from the defatted microalgae Tetraselmis species. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]