Fucoidan

Endometriosis is common in reproductive-age women and its pathology is to increase proliferation and migration to enhance epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition progression (EMT). However, treatments are currently limited, so it is important to explore new therapeutic drugs. Hence, in this study, we investigate the therapeutic effect of fucoidan (FC) on the progression and mechanisms of endometriosis. The cell viability of endometrial cell lines End1/E6E7 and Vk2/E6E7 treated with different concentrations of FC were assessed by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and cell counting. Cell migration was evaluated using wound-healing assay. In an in vivo experiment, female Balb/c mice received surgically induced endometriosis followed by different concentrations of fucoidan for 6 weeks. High-frequency ultrasound imaging was applied to detect subsequent lesion growth. The results demonstrated that fucoidan inhibited the viability and migration ability of End1/E6E7 and Vk2/E6E7 cells. Additionally, the administration of fucoidan reduced the volume and weight of endometriotic lesions, decreased inflammatory cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of serum and lesions, and improved EMT proliferation and apoptosis-related protein expression. For the first time, fucoidan indicated anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects as well as inhibited EMT progression and induced apoptosis, improving endometriosis.

In recent decades, attention to cancer-preventive treatments and studies on the development of anticancer drugs have sharply increased owing to the in…

Four antithrombotic fucoidan fractions F1, F2, LF1, and LF2 with different monosaccharide composition, molecular weight, and degree of sulfation and s…

Summary. Background: Fucoidan, an antithrombotic polysaccharide, can induce endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC) to adopt an angiogenic phenotype in vitro. Objectives: We evaluated the effect of...

Fucoidans are a class of sulfated fucose-rich polysaccharides found in brown marine algae and echinoderms. Fucoidans have an attractive array of bioactivities and potential applications including immune modulation, cancer inhibition, and pathogen inhibition. ...

Since our last review in 2015, the study and use of fucoidan has extended in several research areas. Clinical use of fucoidan for the treatment of renal disease has become available and human safety studies have been undertaken on radiolabeled fucoidan for the purpose of imaging thrombi. Fucoidan has been incorporated into an increasing number of commercially available supplements and topical treatments. In addition, new measuring techniques are now available to assess the biologically relevant uptake of fucoidans and to assist in production. Microbiome modulation and anti-pathogenic effects are increasingly promising applications for fucoidans, due to the need for alternative approaches to antibiotic use in the food chain. This review outlines promising new developments in fucoidan research, including potential future therapeutic use.

Fucoidans are widely used as an ingredient of dietary supplements. We investigated the immune stimulatory activities of Undaria pinnatifida (Alariaceae) fucoida...

We investigated the immune restoration activity of Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan-rich extract in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice. C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with 80 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide (CP) and orally administered with either drinking water (DW), red gins …

DiVA portal is a finding tool for research publications and student theses written at the following 50 universities and research institutions.

A new method to label fucoidan sulfate was established with tyramine and fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer I (FITC). Fluorescence spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography verified...

Fucoidan is an edible algae that has long been used as part of east Asians' diet. Recently, various pharmacological activities of the polymer have bee…