Polysaccharide

Self-healing hydrogels

Biotechnology

Carrageenan

Algae

Cellulose

Biology

Botany

Starch

Biochemical engineering

Engineering

Biorefinery

Biochemistry

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Red algae

Agarose

Biofuel

Chemistry

Materials science

Chromatography

Biomacromolecules

With the increasing growth of the algae industry and the development of algae biorefinery, there is a growing need for high-value applications of algae-extracted biopolymers. The utilization of such biopolymers in the biomedical field can be considered as one of the most attractive applications but is challenging to implement. Historically, polysaccharides extracted from seaweed have been used for a long time in biomedical research, for example, agarose gels for electrophoresis and bacterial culture. To overcome the current challenges in polysaccharides and help further the development of high-added-value applications, an overview of the entire polysaccharide journey from seaweed to biomedical applications is needed. This encompasses algae culture, extraction, chemistry, characterization, processing, and an understanding of the interactions of soft matter with living organisms. In this review, we present algae polysaccharides that intrinsically form hydrogels: alginate, carrageenan, ulvan, starch, agarose, po...

Hydrogel-Forming Algae Polysaccharides: From Seaweed to Biomedical Applications