Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms of Fucoidans to Treat Inflammatory Diseases: A Review

Abstract

Fucoidans are sulfated heteropolysaccharides found in the cell walls of brown seaweeds (Phaeophyceae) and in some marine invertebrates. Generally, fucoidans are composed of significant amounts of L-fucose and sulfate groups, and lesser amounts of arabinose, galactose, glucose, glucuronic acid, mannose, rhamnose, and xylose. In recent years, fucoidans isolated from brown seaweeds have gained considerable attention owing to their promising bioactive properties such as antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antiobesity, antidiabetic, and anticancer properties. Inflammation is a complex immune response that protects the organs from infection and tissue injury. While controlled inflammatory responses are beneficial to the host, leading to the removal of immunostimulants from the host tissues and restoration of structural and physiological functions in the host tissues, chronic inflammatory responses are often associated with the pathogenesis of tumor development, arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, the authors mainly discuss the studies since 2016 that have reported anti-inflammatory properties of fucoidans isolated from various brown seaweeds, and their potential as a novel functional material for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Fucoidans of Brown Algae: Comparison of Sulfated Polysaccharides from Fucus vesiculosus and Ascophyllum nodosum

“…Evidently, the resolution of fucoidans needs additional improvement. Specific enzymatic degradation of unnecessary components of the mixture [ 91 ] or affinity chromatography based on the property of sulfated polysaccharides to bind several proteins [ 92 , 93 ] may be mentioned as the possible approaches to new fractionation procedures.…”

In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Fucoidans from Five Species of Brown Seaweeds

“…It was reported that seaweed polysaccharides showed significant anti-inflammatory activities in vivo and in vitro [ 4 , 48 , 49 ]. The purified fucoidan fraction from Turbinaria ornate (38% sulfates, 0.25% TPC, and 60.4% carbohydrates, among which 86% fucose) reduced ROS and NO expression in zebrafish embryos [ 14 ], reduced an arthritic score, and paw volume of rats with Freund’s Adjuvant induced arthritis [ 13 ].…”

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Sulfated Polysaccharides Isolated from Codium fragile In Vitro in RAW 264.7 Macrophages and In Vivo in Zebrafish

“…Inflammatory responses are immune responses that protect the organs from infection and tissue injury. Inflammatory responses are also associated with the pathogenesis of various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, arthritis, stroke, and cancer [1]. Inflammatory responses are associated with the release of inflammatory molecules such as histamine, prostaglandins, nitric oxide (NO), bradykinin, and pro-inflammatory cytokines [2].…”