Fucoidans are a group of fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides found in many species of brown seaweeds, with numerous bioactive properties. As a highly bioactive seaweed substance with many promising physiological activities, fucoidans have attracted attention from many industries all over the world. Even though fucoidans are a rich source of bioactive properties, the structural properties and bioactive mechanisms of fucoidans are poorly understood. Therefore, novel studies that either characterize the physical properties or biological activities of fucoidans will fill the knowledge gap between industrial applications and the scientific background of those applications. Both purified and partially purified fucoidans isolated from brown seaweeds present high potential as preventative and therapeutic agents against number of chronic diseases, due to their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, neuroprotective, antiviral, antimicrobial, and anticoagulative properties. This Special Issue is aimed at presenting updated information on well-documented studies of the structural characterization and major biological actions relevant for medical, cosmeceutical, and pharmaceutical applications that fucoidans isolated from brown seaweed can offer.

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Glycans (carbohydrate chains) of marine creatures are rich and diverse in polysaccharides, glycoproteins, and glycolipids. The chains that are metabolized by glycan-related enzymes (glycosyltransferases and glycosidases) are recognized by glycan-binding proteins (lectins) which regulate cellular processes such as growth, differentiation, and death. Marine glycomics that involves the genome and transcriptome accelerates our understanding of the evolution of glycans, glycan-related enzymes, and lectins. From 2017 to 2019, the Special Issue “Marine Glycobiology, Glycomics and Lectins” of the journal Marine Drugs published scientific articles and reviews, on the background of “glycobiology”—that is, glycan-based biosciences. The aim was to promote the discovery of novel biomolecules that contribute to drug development and clinical studies. This has great potential for establishing connections between the fields of both human health and marine life sciences.This book contains 11 scientific papers representing current topics in comprehensive glycosciences related to therapeutic agents from marine natural products, as outlined.

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Seaweeds are recognized as highly nutritious, and their use in gastronomy is increasing. Their health benefits and their potential to prevent several diseases have also been established. In this Special Issue several health effects are discussed, with more emphasis on their antitumor activity and potential use to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The key bioactive metabolites, from which phlorotannins can be highlighted, are presented, as well as some important in vivo studies. Altogether, the chapters provide in-depth information about the biological activities of seaweed metabolites, contributing to elucidate the health effects of seaweed.

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