Figure 2. The occurrence of sulfated polysaccharides in plants and algae.

Phylogenetic relationships, including the divergence times of algae, pteridophytes, angiosperms, and a summary of the monosaccharide composition of their sulfated polysaccharide are listed. Sulfated polysaccharides extracted from different plant species were purified using anion-exchange chromatography and their monosaccharide composition was evaluated by paper chromatography after acid hydrolysis. The sulfated polysaccharides from the seagrasses species R. maritima, H. decipiens and H. wrightii contain galactose [15] (A), those from the mangrove species R. mangle and A. schaueriana contain arabinose and galactose (B), while pteridophytes, which were represented by the species A. aureum, contain glucose (D). No sulfated polysaccharides were detected in terrestrial plants (Z. maize, P. vulgaris and O. sativa). Marine green algae (Chlorophyceae) contained a complex mixture of sulfated polysaccharides, with fractions containing arabinose, galactose and glucose [12] [13] (E). Red algae [10] (Rhodophyceae) (F) and brown algae [11] (Phaeophyta) (G) sulfated polysaccharides are composed mainly by galactose and fucose units, respectively.