2016

The antiviral activity in vitro and in vivo and the effect of the immune system of two fucoidan fractions with low molecular weight and different sulfate content from Laminaria japonica (LMW fucoidans) were investigated in order to examine the possible mechanism. In vitro, I-type influenza virus, adenovirus and Parainfluenza virus I were used to infect Hep-2, Hela and MDCK cells, respectively. And 50% tissue culture infective dose was calculated to detect the antiviral activity of two LMW fucoidans. The results indicated that compared with the control group, 2 kinds of LMW fucoidans had remarkable antiviral activity in vitro in middle and high doses, while at low doses, the antiviral activity of 2 kinds of LMW fucoidans was not statistically different from that in the blank control group. And there was no statistically difference between two LMW fucoidans in antiviral activity. In vivo, LMW fucoidans could prolong the survival time of virus-infected mice, and could improve the lung index of virus-infected mice significantly, which have statistical differences with the control group significantly (p < 0.01). However, the survival time of the two LMW fucoidans was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In this study, it was shown that both of two LMW fucoidans (LF1, LF2) could increase the thymus index, spleen index, phagocytic index, phagocytosis coefficient and half hemolysin value in middle and high doses, which suggested that LMW fucoidans could play an antiviral role by improving the quality of immune organs, improving immune cell phagocytosis and humoral immunity.

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Fucoidan has been reported to exhibit various beneficial activities ranging from to antivirus and anticancer properties. However, little information is available about the effects of fucoidan on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Our study aimed to explore the effects of fucoidan on cerebra …

Background: Fucoidan is a natural sulfated polysaccharide which exists mainly in the cell wall matrix of various species of brown seaweed. Various forms of fucoidan have also been recognized in some marine invertebrates such as sea urchins and sea cucumbers. Fucoidan inhibits the spread of cancerous cells by preventing the adhesion of tumor cells to the extracellular matrix in addition to inducing apoptosis, or programmed self-destruction, in human T-cells infected by T-cells leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1) which causes adult T-cell leukemia. The polysaccharide has also been shown to stimulate the phagocytic action of macrophages and synthesis of several immune cell types, which increases protection against infection. Fucoidan gives the immune system a big boost by enhancing phagocytosis. Additionally, it increases the number of mature white blood cells which are circulating in the body, thereby bolstering the first line of defense against infections and diseases. Moreover, fucoidan has anti-coagulant, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-allergic, anti-tumor properties and also many others. Methods and Results: In this study, we investigated whether fucoidan is able to alleviate the vascular remodeling process triggered by immunological stimuli in rat allogenic aorta transplantation model, in addition to the evaluated potential mechanisms responsible for the observed effects. Our rat aorta transplantation model was subjected to intraperitoneal or oral treatment with fucoidan or placebo. The results of our study demonstrated that fucoidan inhibits endointimal hyperplasia formation and vascular modulation. In particular, intraperitoneal and oral administration of fucoidan reduced neointima formation in allografts retrieved 8 weeks after transplantation. Moreover, both treatments with fucoidan reduced the number of smooth muscle (SM) a-actin positive cells in intima and adventitia, decreased percentage of macrophages in intima and media, and increased the number of leukocytes in media of the allografts. Fucoidan treatments have also caused reduction in apoptosis in allograft intima and media. Conclusion: Through our study, we demonstrated the inhibitory effect of fucoidan on vascular remodeling in transplant vasculopathy within rats. Our study is the first report of the beneficial effects of fucoidan oral administration on this process, which may have important clinical implications and result in a better understanding of vascular remodeling.  Keywords : fucoidan, transplant vasculopathy, vascular remodeling

Chitosan, fucoidan, and polyvinyl alcohol are categorized as polymers with biomedical applications. Ampicillin, on the other hand, is considered as an important antibiotic that has shown effectivity in both gram-positive and gram-negative micro-organisms. The aforementioned polymers possess unique p …

The marine acid polysaccharide fucoidan has attracted attention from both the food and pharmaceutical industries due to its promising therapeutic effects. Fucoidan is a polysaccharide that mainly consists of L-fucose and sulphate groups. Its excellent biological function is attributed to its unique …

Our previous study has suggested that the crude polysaccharide obtained from Laminaria japonica by acid assisted extraction (LP-A) have significant bile acid-binding capacity, which probably ascribed to its specific structure characterization. The relationship between structure characterization and bile acid-binding capacity of the purified LP-A fractions are still unknown. This paper conducted a comparison study on the structure characterization and bile acid-binding capacity of three LP-A fractions (LP-A4, LP-A6, and LP-A8). The results indicated that LP-A4, LP-A6, and LP-A8, characterized as mannoglucan, fucomannoglucan, and fucogalactan, had significantly different structure characterization. Furthermore, the bile acid-binding capacity of LP-A8 was obviously higher than the other fractions, which may be attributed to its highly branched structure, abundant sulfate, fucose, and galactose in chemical composition and denser interconnected macromolecule network in molecular morphology. This study provides scientific evidence for the potential utilization of LP-A8 as an attractive functional food supplement candidate for the hyperlipidemia population.

Fucoidan is a sulphated polysaccharide isolated from brown seaweeds. It has attracted a lot of attention due to its multiple physiological and biological properties. The most dominant polysaccharides...

A proprietary preparation of the Japanese seaweed Tasmanian Undaria pinnatifida has inhibitory effects in various Herpes infections.

The present work aims to investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of a homogeneous Laminaria japonica polysaccharide (LJP61A) on acute kidney …

Background Fucoidan is derived from seaweed widely used in Japanese cuisine, but little is known about its influence on glucose metabolism. To obtain …

Fucoidan is composed of l-fucose, sulfate groups and one or more small proportions of d-xylose, d-mannose, d-galactose, l-rhamnose, arabinose, glucose…

Cancer survivors are highly motivated to seek information about the use of dietary supplements and complementary nutritional therapies to improve their quality of life. Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide extracted from brown marine alga, exhibits a wide range of bioactivities, including anticancer activity. As natural killer (NK) cells serve an important role in defenses against tumor cells, the present study examined the effects of fucoidan extracted from Cladosiphon Okamuranus on NK cell activity in cancer survivors. A prospective, open‑label clinical study was conducted on cancer survivors treated with fucoidan via oral administration; 11 cancer survivors with a performance status of 0 or 1 participated and consumed 3 g of fucoidan for 6 months. No significant changes were observed in the mean activities of NK cells in total subjects following the ingestion of fucoidan. An analysis of each sex revealed that NK cell activity was significantly increased by the ingestion of fucoidan in male, yet not female subjects. Serum fucoidan levels were markedly increased following the ingestion of fucoidan and the peak levels ranged between 30 and 198 ng/ml. Tumor markers remained within the reference range during the trial period in subjects, in whom primary tumors were eradicated by treatment. The basal values of tumor markers were elevated in three cases; tumor markers were increased in two cases and decreased in one by the ingestion of fucoidan. These findings suggest that fucoidan enhances the activation of NK cells in male cancer survivors.

Brown seaweed is a common food for Asians, and the bioactive ingredient fucoxanthin exerts anti-apoptotic activities in several cell types. Renal tubu…

Brown seaweed is a common food for Asians, and the bioactive ingredient fucoxanthin exerts anti-apoptotic activities in several cell types. Renal tubu…

Fucoidan is a water-soluble, negatively charged, biologically active polysaccharide found in great abundance in brown marine algae. However, the inhib…

Protective effect of fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus on liver fibrosis via the TGF-&beta;1/Smad pathway-mediated inhibition of extracellular matrix and autophagy Jingjing Li,1 Kan Chen,1 Sainan Li,1 Jiao Feng,1 Tong Liu,1 Fan Wang,1 Rong Zhang,1,2 Shizan Xu,1,2 Yuqing Zhou,1,3 Shunfeng Zhou,1,3 Yujing Xia,1 Jie Lu,1 Yingqun Zhou,1 Chuanyong Guo1 1Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Tenth People&rsquo;s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 2The First Clinical Medical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 3Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, People&rsquo;s Republic of China Abstract: Liver fibrosis is a dynamic reversible pathological process in the development of chronic liver disease to cirrhosis. However, the current treatments are not administered for a long term due to their various side effects. Autophagy is initiated to decompose damaged or excess organelles, which had been found to alter the progression of liver fibrosis. In this article, we hypothesized that fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus may attenuate liver fibrosis in mice by inhibition of the extracellular matrix and autophagy in carbon tetrachloride- and bile duct ligation-induced animal models of liver fibrosis. The results were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining. Fucoidan from F. vesiculosus could inhibit the activation of hepatic stellate cells and the formation of extracellular matrix and autophagosomes, and its effect may be associated with the downregulation of transforming growth factor beta 1/Smads pathways. Fucoidan, as an autophagy and transforming growth factor beta 1 inhibitor, could be a promising potential therapeutic agent for liver fibrosis. Keywords: liver cirrhosis, hepatic stellate cells, bile duct ligation

Background. Conventional anticancer therapies still cause difficulties with selective eradication and accompanying side effects that reduce patients’ quality of...

Fucoidan is a polysaccharide, which is derived from brown algae and some marine invertebrates, consisting mainly of L-fucose and sulfate ester groups [1]. Fucoidan is particularly found in the cell wall of marine brown algae. This polysaccharide is named as fucoidin when it is derived from the first marine brown algae. Kylin gave Fucoidin in 1913. However, this name has been changed to fucoidan according to IUPAC rules [2]. Fucoidan related different studies have performed in the literature [1,2]. It has different bioactivities such as anticoagulant, anti-thrombotic, antiinflammatory, antitumoral, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-hepatopathy, anti-uropathy, anti-inflammatory. These activities depend on the source of fucoidan samples taken from different species [1,2]. In addition, fucoidan is non-toxic or any adverse effects on the healthy tissues so that it can be used safety. There are many forms of fucoidan but the simplest molecular structure of fucoidan is obtained from Fucus vesiculosus consists mainly of 44.1% fucose, 26.3% sulphate and 31.1% ash and a small proportion of aminoglucose [3,4].

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of fucoidan in ameliorating hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress to porcine intestinal epithelial cell line (IPEC-1). The cell viability test was initially performed to screen out appropriate concentrations of H2O2 and fucoidan. After that, cells were exposed to H2O2 in the presence or absence of pre-incubation with fucoidan. Hydrogen peroxide increased the apoptotic and necrotic rate, boosted reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and disturbed the transcriptional expression of genes associated with antioxidant defense and apoptosis in IPEC-1 cells. Pre-incubation with fucoidan inhibited the increases in necrosis and ROS accumulation induced by H2O2. Consistently, in the H2O2-treated IPEC-1 cells, fucoidan normalized the content of reduced glutathione as well as the mRNA abundance of NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 and superoxide dismutase 1 while it prevented the overproduction of malondialdehyde. Moreover, H2O2 stimulated the translocation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 to the nucleus of IPEC-1 cells, but this increase was further promoted by fucoidan pre-treatment. The results suggest that fucoidan is effective in protecting IPEC-1 cells against oxidative damage induced by H2O2, which may help in developing appropriate strategies for maintaining the intestinal health of young piglets.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the key cause of many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The inflammatory response and lipid metabolism disorders co…

Obesity is global problem that contributes to disease, and is partly caused by fast-food, high-fat diets. Much attention has been focused on developing anti-obesity foods and chemical materials from natural sources. Seaweed has bioactive properties that influence immune activity and have anti-cancer and anti-obesity effects. Laminaria japonica is a widely consumed seaweed, and has been promoted as a health food in Korea. The bioactive properties of L. japonica include anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammation effects. Most Laminaria japonica are distributed in a simple processing form such as drying, and their availability is very low. Therefore, various types of functional products can be developed if they can be applied to foods through functionalization using fermentation techniques. It is a structural problem that is the most problematic in seaweed processing. In this study, we used fermented Laminaria japonica. To increase physiological activity, fermentation treatment was performed to loosen the structure, thereby increasing the activity of the glycoprotein. First, we screened the anti-obesity potential of an L. japonica fermentation extract (LJF) using 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells. We determined cytotoxicity using an MTS assay and measured LJF for its ability to affect adipogenesis through glucose uptake, triglyceride levels, and Oil Red O staining. We confirmed that LJF inhibited adipocyte differentiation. CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins α/β (C/EBP-α/β) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) are involved in the early and late stages of adipocyte differentiation. LJF significantly reduced the expression levels of C/EBP-α/β and PPAR-γ and decreased the concentration of adiponectin. Thus, our results suggest that LJF inhibits adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells, and may be valuable for its anti-obesity effects.

Obesity is global problem that contributes to disease, and is partly caused by fast-food, high-fat diets. Much attention has been focused on developing anti-obesity foods and chemical materials from natural sources. Seaweed has bioactive properties that influence immune activity and have anti-cancer and anti-obesity effects. Laminaria japonica is a widely consumed seaweed, and has been promoted as a health food in Korea. The bioactive properties of L. japonica include anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-inflammation effects. Most Laminaria japonica are distributed in a simple processing form such as drying, and their availability is very low. Therefore, various types of functional products can be developed if they can be applied to foods through functionalization using fermentation techniques. It is a structural problem that is the most problematic in seaweed processing. In this study, we used fermented Laminaria japonica. To increase physiological activity, fermentation treatment was performed to loosen the structure, thereby increasing the activity of the glycoprotein. First, we screened the anti-obesity potential of an L. japonica fermentation extract (LJF) using 3T3-L1 adipocyte cells. We determined cytotoxicity using an MTS assay and measured LJF for its ability to affect adipogenesis through glucose uptake, triglyceride levels, and Oil Red O staining. We confirmed that LJF inhibited adipocyte differentiation. CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins α/β (C/EBP-α/β) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) are involved in the early and late stages of adipocyte differentiation. LJF significantly reduced the expression levels of C/EBP-α/β and PPAR-γ and decreased the concentration of adiponectin. Thus, our results suggest that LJF inhibits adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cells, and may be valuable for its anti-obesity effects.