In-vitro production of fucoidan from Sargassum polycystum and its biopharmacological potential

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide from brown algae with potential for pharmacological use. Sutainable in-vitro culture of Mauritian Sargassum polycystum seaweed and the biopharmaco- logical potential of fucoidan extracts were explored. Antibiotic (Chloramphenicol) and antifungal (Nystatin) based media were used as pre-treatments for the in-vitro culture, and solid and liquid Provosoli’s enrichment seawater medium was used for subsequent growth phases. Sargassum polycystum was successfully cultured, with growth outcomes influenced by sterility, media com- position, thallus segment, maturity, and environmental similarity. Extracts of 0.033 ± 0.0004 g of fucoidan per g of dry seaweed were obtained after powdering the seaweed, dissolving it in 85 % ethanol, centrifugation, adding distilled water followed by 1 % CaCl2, and adding 99 % eth- anol. The extract displayed antioxidant activity with higher hydroxyl radical scavenging (1488 ppm) compared to 2,2-diphenyl-1-1picrylhydrazyl assay (5223 ppm), attributed to sulfate con- tent and the ethanol extraction method. Anti-inflammatory activity evaluated with the protein denaturation assay of S. polycystum was 3.7 times less potent than diclofenac. Notably, fucoidan promoted Lactobacillus sp. growth with prebiotic potential.