Spirulina platensis polysaccharide from

The red microalga Porphyridium aerugineum is a source of blue color. This species is different from other red microalgae in that it lacks red phycoerythrin and its phycocyanin is C-phycocyanin rather than the R-phycocyanin that accompanies phycoerythrin found in many red algae and in other Porphyridium species. However, the biochemicals produced by P. aerugineum are similar to those of other red microalgae, e.g., sulfated polysaccharides, carotenoids, and lipids. An alternative source of C-phycocyanin is Spirulina platensis. ... 

In algae, an example is found in the sulfated polysaccharide spirulan, isolated from the blue-green alga Spirulina platensis, composed of two types of disaccharide repeating-units, O-rhamnosyl-acofriose (3-0-methylrhamnose) and 0-hexosyluronic-rhamnose.226... 

Hayashi, K., Hayashi, T., and Kojima, I. (1996a). A natural sulfated polysaccharide, calcium spirulan, isolated from Spirulina platensis In vitro and ex vivo evaluation of anti-Herpes simplex virus and anti-human immunodeficiency virus activities. AIDS Res. Hum. Retroviruses 12,1463-1471. 

Sulfated polysaccharide antibiotic of unknown struct. Composed of two types of repeating disaccharide units O-rhamnosylacofriose and O-hexuro-nosylrhamnose (aldobiuronic acid). Characterised as the Ca deriv. Calcium spirulan, to which CAS no. refers. Isol. from the blue-green alga Spirulina platensis. Antiviral agent. Amorph. powder, (as Ca deriv.). [a]o +14.7 (c, 0.6 in H2O) (Ca deriv.). 

A wide screening to evaluate the antiviral activity of polysaccharide compormds isolated from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis on different viruses was performed by Rechter et al. [83]. These authors reported the results obtained by using specific assays for the quantification of in-vitro viral replication. The polysaccharide fractions, containing spirulan-like molecules, showed a marked inhibition of human cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus type 1, human herpesvirus type 6 and human immunodeficiency virus type 1. On the contrary, weak or no inhibition was detected for Epstein-Barr virus and influenza A virus [83]. The in-vitro antiviral activity of polysaccharide calcium spirulan produced by Arthrospira platensis (formerly Spirulina platensis) was previously described [84-86]. 

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