ABSTRACT
Polysaccharides are ubiquitous in all domains of life. In particular, numerous marine-derived polysaccharides have been described and have found several applications in various industrial fields. Marine bacteria synthesize diverse polysaccharides that they excrete outside the cell. These polysaccharides are particularly attractive to researchers who are searching for ways to develop innovative compounds that mimic the animal glycosaminoglycans, a class of glycopolymers that play important roles in the physiology of the cell and in the development of some diseases. Therefore, their applications as therapeutic or cosmetic products for human health and human well-being are investigated. Structural features of the polysaccharides play a critical role on their physicochemical and bioactive properties. As a consequence, the modification and/or functionalization of polysaccharides is of great importance to enhance their activities and thus extend their applications in both traditional and newly explored biomedical areas, such as tissue engineering, controlled drug delivery and release, and wound healing or dressing. Recently, enzymes have been investigated for their potential to catalyze the modification process, alone or in combination with chemical reactions. This chapter focuses mainly on the modification of the chemical structure of marine polysaccharides to produce GAG-mimetic compounds using enzymatic methods.
