1. Protein: Seaweed contains a special kind of protein called pro-glycoprotein, which has affinity for specific sugars and is non-covalently bound to it. The combination of pro-glycoprotein and cell membrane sugar molecules causes cell settling and is therefore a lectin. Pro-glycoproteins are ubiquitous in terrestrial animals and plants and micro-organisms, especially in the seeds of legumes. By identifying the characteristics of sugars, pro-glycoproteins play an important role in biological defense, growth, reproduction, nutrient storage, and bio-symbiosis. The pro-glycoprotein can also be applied to blood cell separation and detection, drug carriers, immune antibody production and anti-cancer drugs for medical purposes.
The seaweed-containing agglutinated active substances were only introduced in 1966. Subsequent studies have found that seaweed's pro-glycoprotein can not only agglutinate red blood cells, tumor cells, lymphocytes, yeasts, marine bacteria, and single-cell blue-green algae, but also promote Small mice and human lymphocyte division. Some red algae, such as the glycoproteins of the genus Algae, asparagus, red leeks, and convolvulus have this effect. Seaweed pro-glycoprotein activates lymphocytes and is therefore closely linked to immune function.
Subsequent studies have found that some seaweed pro-glycoprotein can inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells, such as inhibiting the growth of leukemic cell lines and mouse breast cancer cells. In another example, when seaweed pro-glycoprotein is stained and bound to cancer cells, the division and metastasis of cancer cells in the human body can be diagnosed or tracked. In Taiwan, the use of seaweed pro-glycoproteins in human health care and pharmaceutical research and development, most of which are still in the beginning stage, are not as mature as polysaccharides, pending active research and development.
It can be expected that the seaweed pro-glycoprotein has great potential in the functional diagnosis of the immune system, tumor formation and metastasis diagnosis, and other clinical applications. However, it is necessary to first strengthen the screening of seaweed active species, further isolate and purify the pro-glycoprotein, and analyze its biochemical characteristics and structure for follow-up studies and to expand future applications to improve its value in medicine and health care.
2. Polysaccharides: substances that have enhanced immunity and anti-cancer activity in seaweed, belonging to special polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, pigments and low molecular substances. In traditional Chinese medicine, several brown algae can be used to prevent and treat cancer after cooking. The main components of this hot water extract are polysaccharides.
Seaweeds are rich in dietary fibers. These fibers are substances such as sulfated polysaccharides or acidic polysaccharides. In addition to the functions of the aforementioned dietary fibers, some of them also have anticancer activity. Carrageenan from red algae is a sulphated galactose polymer, which has enhanced immunity and anti-cancer activity; carrageenan is mainly derived from carrageen, spirulina, eucheuma, and sand. Vegetables and Ginkgo biloba. Laver sugar and paste are also sulfated polysaccharides with anticancer activity. The former is derived from laver and the latter is mainly a galactose polymer of sea radish.
The fucoidan of brown algae is one of the most studied compounds in the anti-tumor and anticoagulant activities of algae. The experimental results show that this monosaccharide can be anti-tumor and prolong the lifespan of mice; many kinds of brown algae, such as wakame and Sargassum The fucoidan can also inhibit tumors and enhance the immune antibody function of mice; alginic acid is the main component of the cell wall of brown algae, and its anticancer activity is related to the components of mannuronic acid and guluronic acid contained therein. Some people think that the anti-cancer mechanism of trehalose may be related to the increase of phagocytic cells and interferon activity, which indirectly induce cellular protein immune response and affect the activity of lymphocytes.
3, dietary fiber: dietary fiber is a macromolecule with a polysaccharide structure, constitute the main component of algae cell wall, but also more distributed in the cell gap. Red algae and brown algae are rich in a variety of dietary fibers, and most of them are water-soluble. The content and structure of the fibers are different due to the type of seaweed; the fiber composition of the green algae is roughly the same as that of the land plants, mainly cellulose, but the red algae is the seaweed, carrageenan and paste, and the brown algae is brown algae. Acid, fucoidan and kelp sugar. Generally, the fiber content of seaweed is about 30 to 65% of dry weight, which is much larger than the average content of beans, grains, vegetables and fruits.
What is the use of dietary fiber in human health? Taking an animal experiment as an example, the addition of alginic acid to feed can improve the symptoms of hyperlipidemia in rats and suppress the increase of blood cholesterol. Carrageenan and agar are combined with cholesterol to regulate blood glucose levels. Therefore, a modest increase in the intake of seaweed fibers can lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood glucose levels, help the normal laws of the heart and blood vessels, and prevent the occurrence of cancer. In addition, after seaweed dietary fiber enters the human gastrointestinal tract, it swells due to absorption of water, which can easily lead to a feeling of satiety, avoid excessive intake of food and cause obesity, and achieve weight-loss health effects. Dietary fiber in the human body can also help digestion and promote waste excretion, to avoid the growth of harmful bacteria in the body, with a whole bowel effect.
4. Vitamins: When a certain vitamin is insufficient or lacking in the body, it can cause metabolic disorders or diseases. Seaweed contains a variety of vitamins, mainly vitamins B12, C and E, biotin and niacin. Inadequate vitamin B12 in the human body can cause long-term pain, anemia, fatigue, and even mental disorders. Although the amount of vitamins in the seaweed is small, it is widely distributed in various algae.
Vitamin C is related to more than 70 diseases such as septicemia, cancer, heart disease, and weight loss. Many seaweeds, such as porphyra, networt, wakame, and canola, are rich in vitamin C, up to 3%. ~ 10 mg/g dry weight of algae is not inferior to many vegetables and fruits.
Vitamin E is associated with the treatment of more than 45 diseases in the human body, including skin, muscles, hearing, vision, cancer and heart disease. Such vitamins can protect the liver from damage caused by excessive fatigue; in general, the vitamin E content in seaweed is approximately One hundred micrograms/gram dry weight below the algae, but in the fucus is up to six hundred micrograms per gram of dry weight of the algae. Vitamins C and E also have antioxidant properties that prevent unsaturated fatty acids from being attacked by peroxides.
Nicotinic acid is also widely present in various seaweeds and has its uses in the treatment of arthritis, migraine and insomnia. Seaweeds also contain biotin that helps regulate fat metabolism. Some seaweeds also contain vitamins B1, B2, D, A and K. These micro-vitamins also have specific functions.
5. Inorganic elements: Seawater contains more than 45 kinds of inorganic elements, and seaweed grows in seawater and absorbs inorganic elements as nutrients every day. Therefore, seaweed contains more and more natural inorganic elements than land plants, and can provide human bodies. Required.
The inorganic elements of seaweed have the most sodium, potassium, iron, and calcium contents. Iron is a component of heme. Iron deficiency is one of the causes of anemia. Calcium is a component of human bones and teeth. It is also required to maintain the normal function of cell membranes; however, calcium will be lost every day, so it must be supplemented, especially for children in the growth period. Many seaweeds, such as fern and algae, asparagus, sand, napi, algae, and dinoflagellate, contain a large amount of iron and calcium, which can be ingested from them to supplement the deficiency. Another example is the lack of iodine in the human body can cause abnormal thyroid function, and kelp contains a large amount of iodine, can provide the necessary.
Some seaweeds contain large amounts of magnesium, which can relieve stress and prevent heart attacks caused by stress. Seaweeds contain trace amounts of copper, zinc, and manganese. These three trace elements cause poisoning in excess in the human body. However, if they cannot be maintained in the liver, they can cause liver damage. Copper can also affect the absorption of iron, which is related to the occurrence of blood sugar and epilepsy. If the human body lacks the above major and trace elements, it needs to be supplemented in an appropriate amount. Daily intake of seaweed can supplement various inorganic elements.
6. Amino acids and fatty acids: Some edible seaweeds such as seaweed, palmetto algae, stone peony, and stone hair have more proteins, which is about 20 to 39% of the dry weight of the algae. Seaweed contains more than twenty kinds of human essential amino acids. What is important is that most species have thiamine-containing acids, such as taurine, methionine, cystine and their derivatives, each one hundred grams of dry The content of heavy algae is between 41 and 72 milligrams. In addition to the large amounts of taurine in mother's milk, eggs, and beans, most of the thiol amino acids in land-based food proteins are insufficient or absent. When intake is insufficient, human health may be affected.
Taurine is related to the normal regulation of heartbeat, brain chemistry and nerve cells, and vision. Methionine and cystine can chelate heavy metals. Sulfur and hydrogen combine to form hydrogen sulfide and detoxify. Taurine also helps in the digestion of fat, inhibits the increase of blood and liver cholesterol levels, and has an improved effect on patients with high cholesterol. Red algae generally contain more thiol amino acids than green algae and brown algae; there are high amounts of taurine in laver, agaric, seaweed, sarcophagus, and carrageenan, and the dry weight of each algae can be as high as 100 g. Four hundred milligrams; methionine and cystine have higher contents in Dendrobium, Songzao, Brassica oleracea, Chinese chive, seaweed, chondrhoea, legumes, kelp, and fucus. Eating these seaweeds can provide the special amino acids that the body needs.
Seaweed has a small amount of fatty acids, accounting for about 1 to 5%, but some special fatty acids have a great impact on human health. Seaweeds contain a small amount of saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid, myristic acid, lauric acid, and stearic acid, which are commonly found in animals and higher plants. Most of them are unsaturated fatty acids, such as kelp, hijiki and wakame. They contain oleic acid and linseed oil. Acid and linolenic acid. The latter two are essential unsaturated fatty acids.
In general, red algae contain more highly unsaturated fatty acids than green algae and brown algae, especially 20-carbon-5-enoic fatty acids (EPA). According to the analysis, seaweed, kelp, seaweed, and other seaweeds contain more EPA. This fatty acid is usually found in fish oils of deep-sea fishes. It can help reduce blood pressure, heart beat, and relieve stress, but it can also suppress blood. Increased cholesterol levels and platelet aggregation prevent thrombosis and myocardial infarction and prevent circulatory diseases.