Contents



Preface

Alginates are polysaccharides found in both the intercellular matrix of brown algae and extracellularly covering some species of bacteria. They are widely used by the food industry, giving foods texture properties such as thickening, adhesion,

Alginate was characterized in the late nineteenth century and is currently obtained from brown algae collected in coastal regions at sea. Alginate can constitute up to 40% of the dry mass of these algae. Due to its unique properties, for gelling and thickening solutions and acting as immobilization support, the material has become a product of commercial importance. Alginate is widely used in food, cosmetics, and medicines and also finds application in the textile and paper industries. It is currently being used in innovative medical and pharmaceutical applications. Due to its characteristics, it is used as a thickener, emulsion and foam stabilizer, encapsulating agent, gelling agent, film-forming agent, and synthetic fiber, among other possibilities. The alginate currently used is extracted from algae; however, its production by microorganisms allows controlled exploitation of

Alginate is a linear copolymer consisting of the acids α-L-guluronic and β-Dmannuronic with 1–4 bonds. The material varies widely in terms of its proportion between mannuronic (M) and guluronic (G) residues, as well as its sequential structure and degree of polymerization. Thus, the material may have alternating sequences of MG residues and blocks consisting of two or more M or G residues. In many applications for which the material is used it has the ability to form gels whose characteristics depend on the M/G ratio and number of cross-links between polymer chains. Gels are formed in the presence of divalent cations such as Ca++ or Mg++, and the presence of G residue sequences is required to exhibit

This book is divided into the following sections: Introductory section, Pharmaceutical and Medical Uses, and Technological Applications. The first chapter is entitled Introductory Chapter: Alginates—A General Looking. The second section consists of Chapters 2 through 6, respectively: Pharmacological Effects and Utility as a Food Additive of Calcium Alginate; Current Perspective and Advancements of Alginate-based Transplantation Technologies; The Use of Alginate Hydrogels for the Culture of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs): *In Vitro* and *In Vivo* Paradigms; Alginate-Based Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine; and Role of Alginates Combined with Natural Extracts to Prevent the Gastric Acidrelated Damage. The third and last section consists of two chapters: Importance of Alginate Bio-Ink for 3D Bio-Printing in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine and Application of Artificial Intelligence in Modern Healthcare

emulsification, gelling, or fullness.

its natural sources.

this ability.

Systems.
