Exploiting biological activities of brown seaweed Ishige okamurae Yendo for potential industrial applications: a review

Functional products such as cosmeceuticals, functional foods, and nutraceuticals with natural ingredients have more market demand than their synthetic counterparts due to the lower side effects and health-promoting properties associated with the natural functional ingredients. Ishige okamurae is an edible brown seaweed growing on rocks in the upper and middle intertidal zones of rough open coasts in Korea, Japan, and China. Studies carried out to isolate and evaluate the bioactive properties of crude and pure compounds from I. okamurae have shown promising results under in vitro and in vivo conditions. As a result, I. okamurae has recently gained considerable attention as a functional material in industries such as functional foods, nutraceuticals, and cosmeceuticals. However, the promising health effects associated with the extracts and pure compounds isolated from I. okamurae have not been reviewed to date. Herein, the authors review some health-promoting properties of crude and pure compounds from this seaweed, including anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-HIV, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, and anti-MMP activities. Thus, this review might serve to increase the utilization of this invaluable natural resource as an ingredient in the aforementioned industries.