Monostroma kuroshiensis Bast, a
green alga in the division
Chlorophyta, is a green seaweed endemic to
Kuroshio Coast of Japan. This high-value seaweed is called Hitoegusa or Hirohano hitoegusa (ヒロハノヒトエグサ) in Japanese. Previously this algae was known in binomen
Monostroma latissimum, but the latest scientific research based on multilocal phylogeny discovered that this is a new species. This algae is commercially cultivated in
East Asia and
South America for the edible product "hitoegusa-nori" or "hirohano-hitoegusa nori", popular
sushi wraps.
Monostroma oligosaccharides with
degree of polymerization 6 prepared by
agarase digestion from
Monostroma nitidum polysaccharides have been shown to be an effective prophylactic agent during
in vitro and
in vivo tests against
Japanese encephalitis viral infection. The sulfated oligosaccharides from
Monostroma seem to be promising candidates for further development as antiviral agents. The
Monostroma genus is the most widely cultivated genus among green
seaweeds.