ABSTRACT
Alginate (ALG) is a natural anionic polymer typically extracted from brown seaweed. The biological and physical properties of ALG in aqueous media are dependent on the M/G ratio and also on the distribution of M and G units along the polymer chain. Pharmaceutical industries make use of purified ALG as thickener, stabilizer in solution and dispersion of solid substances. In addition, the ALG solid-micro-spheres can also be employed as cell microcarriers, which is essentially an injectable cell scaffold for tissue engineering. ALG gels are therefore promising candidates for cell transplantation and pharmaceutical applications. The raw material for ALG production is the brown algae which grow abundantly in the ocean all over the world. ALG gels are being used extensively for the regeneration and engineering of numerous tissues such as skeletal.
