BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2014, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 3-11

Prebiotic potential of polysaccharides and extracts of seaweeds

© 2014 T. S. Zaporozhets¹, N. N. Besednova¹, T. A. Kuznetsova¹, T. N. Zvyagintseva², I. D. Makarenkova¹, S. P. Kryzhanovsky³, V. G. Melnikov⁴

¹Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Vladivostok 690087;
²G.B. Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690022;
³Far Eastern Federal University, School of Biomedicine, Vladivostok 690950;
⁴International Science and Technology Center, Moscow 127473

E-mail: ; ; ;

Based on own and current literature data, the authors analyze the prebiotic properties of polysaccharides and extracts of seaweeds. The role of prebiotics, particularly polysaccharides, in the normalization of intestinal microflora is discussed; consideration is also given to the possibility of seaweed polysaccharide fermentation by colonic microflora and selective stimulation of growth of colonic bifidobacteria. This review also analyzes other useful properties of seaweed polysaccharides and discusses the prospects for inclusion of seaweed polysaccharides in the composition of functional nutrition products for the purposes of correcting intestinal bacterial disorders and inflammatory processes and normalizing the immune and metabolic status.

Key words: prebiotics, bifidobacteria, microbiota, gastrointestinal tract, extracts, polysaccharides, seaweeds, synbiotics.