Bioactive Carbohydrate Polymers is probably the first book dealing
with the latest in the field of polysaccharides and related products and
their biological activities, especially the immunological effects. The
different chapters describe the structure and bioactivity of
polysaccharides from plants used in traditional medicine in different
parts of the world, especially China, Japan and Europe. The focus of the
book is on immunologically active plant and seaweed polysaccharides,
pharmacological activities of sulphated polysaccharides of animal and
seaweed origin, and on possible activities of polysaccharides in our
food. Methods for isolation and characterisation of the polymers with
chemical and enzymatic methods is covered, as well as discussions on the
different biological test-systems and the information they provide.
This book will be useful to scientists and postgraduate students working
with polysaccharides and their possible uses, and should be of interest
for people working in the areas of chemistry, biology, pharmacy and
medicine.