Sargassum sp., a Treasure House of Natural Bioactive Compounds

More than 70% of the world's surface is covered by oceans, and the wide diversity of marine organisms offer a rich source of natural products, which make up approximately one half of the total global biodiversity and are rich reservoirs of diverse bio-functional components. Among marine organisms, marine algae are rich sources of bioactive compounds with various biological activities. Sargassum species are tropical and sub-tropical brown macroalgae of shallow marine meadow. It belonging to family Sargassaceae, order Fucales, subclass Cyclosporeae, and class Phaeophyceae, contains approximately 400 species. They are reported to produce metabolites such as terpenoids, polysaccharides, polyphenols, sargaquinoic acids, sargachromenol, plastoquinones, steroids, glycerides etc., which possesses several therapeutic activities. As it possesses many pharmacological properties, it has been considered as a medicinal food of the twenty-first century, and research is being carried out on it to reveal its other pharmacological properties. The current book highlights the various medicinal potential of Sargassum sp. with emphasis on the evaluation of its antioxidant and antibacterial properties.