Abstract
Alginates are biopolymers usually obtained from brown seaweed, brown algae (Ochrophyta,
Phaeophyceae), and bacteria (Azatobacter vineland and Pseudomonas species) belonging to the family
of polycationic copolymers. They are biocompatible, biodegradable, non-antigenic, and non-toxic biopolymer
with molecular mass ranges from 32,000-40,000 g/mol in commercial grades. These can be
used as edible films or coatings in food industries and also some natural or chemical additives could
be incorporated into them to modify their functional, mechanical, nutritional as well as organoleptic
properties. Due to their high viscosity and extraordinary shear-thinning effect, they can be used as
dietary fibers, thickening, gelling and stabilizing agents. Commercial alginates have vast applications
in the fields of biomedical engineering, biotechnology, environmental contaminants treatments, food
processing, and pharmaceuticals. Alginates can be used in wound dressings, bone regeneration,
neovascularization, protein delivery, cell delivery, theranostic agents, oral drug delivery, controlled
release systems, raft formulations, immobilization of biological agents and treatment of environmental
contaminants. Various carrier systems can be formulated by the use of alginates like hydrogel,
tablets, microcapsules, films, matrices, microspheres, liposomes, nanoparticles, beads, cochleate,
floating and supersaturated drug delivery systems. This review presents a broad range of promising
applications of alginates, and it can be a great interest to scientists and industries engaged in exploring
its hidden potential.
Keywords:
Alginate, drug delivery, environmental applications, food applications, pharmaceuticals, tablets.
Graphical Abstract
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