Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of fractions from the brown seaweed Sargassum pallidum (Sea of Japan) analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS

Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Sargassum pallidum fractions from the Sea of Japan were investigated in this study. One of the major highlights of this study is the putative detection of 35 novel metabolites using HPLC-MS/MS analysis, which significantly expands knowledge of the chemical composition of this species. These tentatively identified metabolites include twelve flavonoids like gossypetin and syringetin, as well as five nitrogen-containing compounds. The antioxidant properties revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction has the highest reducing power and demonstrated an ability to reduce Fe3+ greater than that of ascorbic acid, probably due to its high flavonoid and polyphenol content. Furthermore, the unique chemical composition, with low phlorotannins compared to other regions, clearly demonstrates the influence of environmental factors. Our findings indicate that Sargassum pallidum from the Sea of Japan is a novel and significant source of chemical compounds with potential pharmacological applications.