Marine sulphated polysaccharides (MSP®) are complex carbohydrate molecules extracted from the cell walls of green and red macroalgae. Sulphated polysaccharides are carbohydrates consisting of complex sugars to which sulphur atoms are attached. Different from non-sulphated polysaccharides like yeast β-glucans, the negative charge of sulphate groups acts as polyanions, facilitating ion transport near cell surface.
They bind strongly to cationic proteins such as cytokines, growth factors and viral proteins), directly influencing biological activities. Desulfation (removing sulphate groups) eliminates or drastically reduces immunostimulatory effects, proving the sulphate moiety is critical for function. The specific sulphate pattern determines which receptors are activated and what immune response is triggered, resulting in distinct signalling pathways and biological outcomes.
In Aquaculture industry, MSP® has been used as the functional feed additive providing multiple benefits:
Growth promotion: improves weight gain and feed conversion.
Immunity enhancement: upregulates immune genes and increases disease resistance.
Antioxidant support: activates endogenous antioxidant systems.
Antiviral protection: offers a crucial tool against major viral pathogens in aquaculture. It can block viral entry by mimicking host cell receptors and inhibit viral replication after infection. It also stimulates innate immunity to enhance the host’s antiviral state.
For Salmon, adding 2 -3 kg Algimun /MT feed could significantly decrease gills damage and delay the need for the vet treatments due to Ameobic gills disease (AGD) infection. It is also reported to increase outer barriers-mucus integrity and increase resistance against parasites.
For shrimp, adding 3-5 kg Algimun/MT feed could strength natural defences for higher survival rate.
It is well-known that innate immunity is the non-specific, immediate defence that fish or shrimps rely on heavily. It consists of physical barriers such as skin and gills, circulating enzymes (Lysozymes), Phagocytic cells that kill via oxidative bursts (ROS) and granule enzymes that produce bleach. Figure 1 showed that adding 3 kg Algiemun/MT to the feed of Juvenile Olive flounder, Gilthead seabream and Red tilapia, respectively, significantly improved the innate immune response and bactericidal activities.
Figure 1. The effect of Algimun on innate immune response and bactericidal activities in blood.
A study compiled by our Redox Animal Nutritionists.