Merck, A7003-250G, Alginic acid from brown algae

General description
Alginic acid is a high molecular weight linear polymer isolated from seaweed. It is a linear β-1→4-linked polymer of n-mannuronic and L-guluronic acid. It is an acid polysaccharide present in the extracellular matrix of brown algae. It is reported to inhibit the reverse transcriptase activity of HIV. Structural investigation of alginic acid, a marine algal polysaccharide poly-α-L-guluronic acid, has been reported. Anti-inflammatory effect of alginic acid, isolated from the brown algae Sargassum wightii, in type II collagen induced arthritic rats has been reported. Pyrolysis of alginic acid using py-GC/MS over a wide temperature range (200-800°C) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) has been reported. It was reported to cause the biocorrosion of thin films of copper on germanium internal reflection elements (IREs).
Application
Alginic acid is suitable reagent used to study the in-vitro and in-vivo mitogenic activity of alginates. It is suitable for use in the spectrophotometric determination of transparent exopolymer particles by dye-binding assay.
Other Notes
A straight-chain, hydrophilic, colloidal, polyuronic acid composed primarily of anhydro-β-D-mannuronic acid residues with 1→4 linkage.