Fucoidan Extracted from the New Zealand Undaria pinnatifida—Physicochemical Comparison against Five Other Fucoidans: Unique Low Molecular Weight Fraction Bioactivity in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

Fucoidan, the complex fucose-containing sulphated polysaccharide varies considerably in structure, composition, and bioactivity, depending on the source, species, seasonality, and extraction method. In this study, we examined five fucoidans extracted from the same seaweed species Undaria pinnatifida but from different geological locations, and compared them to the laboratory-grade fucoidan from Sigma (S). The five products differed in molecular composition. The amount of over 2 kDa low molecular weight fraction (LMWF) of the New Zealand crude fucoidan (S1) was larger than that of S, and this fraction was unique, compared to the other four fucoidans. The difference of molecular compositions between S and S1 explained our previous observation that S1 exhibited different anticancer profile in some cancer cell lines, compared with S. Since we observed this unique LMWF, we compared the cytotoxic effects of a LMWF and a high molecular weight fucoidan (HMWF) in two breast cancer cell lines—MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Results indicated that the molecular weight is a critical factor in determining the anti-cancer potential of fucoidan, from the New Zealand U. pinnatifida, as the LMWF exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition on the proliferation of breast cancer cells, significantly better than the HMWF, in both cell lines. A time-dependent inhibition was only observed in the MCF-7. Induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis was observed in the MDA-MB-231 cells, through the intrinsic apoptosis pathway alone, or with the extrinsic pathway. LMWF stimulated a dose-dependent NOS activation in the MDA-MB-231 cells. In conclusion, the fucoidan extracted from the New Zealand U. pinnatifida contains a unique LMWF, which could effectively inhibit the growth of breast cancer cell lines. Therefore, the LMWF from New Zealand U. pinnatifida could be used as a supplement cancer treatment.

Fucoidan affects oral squamous cell carcinoma cell functions in vitro by regulating FLNA‐derived circular RNA

“…Low‐molecular‐weight fucoidan (LMWF) has been shown to significantly improve disease control rate of metastatic colorectal cancer patients in a clinical trial, combined with chemotherapeutic agents . Some innovative technologies for fucoidan extraction have been developed to promote efficiency to obtain a better yield, with less time, smaller cost, and more environmentally friendly by lowering energy consumption . These include ultrasound‐, microwave‐, and enzyme‐assisted technologies, which have been used in the extraction of fucoidan and other bioactive compounds from ocean algae and seaweed .…”

“…39 Some innovative technologies for fucoidan extraction have been developed to promote efficiency to obtain a better yield, with less time, smaller cost, and more environmentally friendly by lowering energy consumption. 44 These include ultrasound-, microwave-, and enzyme-assisted technologies, which have been used in the extraction of fucoidan and other bioactive compounds from ocean algae and seaweed. [41][42][43] In the present work, the ethanol sedimentary method was used, aiming to obtain purer LMWF.…”

Antitumor bioactivity of porphyran extracted from Pyropia yezoensis Chonsoo2 on human cancer cell lines

“…Other studies have also observed different inhibitory effects against cancer cells from polysaccharides of different molecular weights. For example, Lu et al . reported that low molecular weight fucoidan is more effective than higher molecular form with respect to inhibiting the growth of MDA‐MB‐231 cells, whereas Zhu et al .…”

“…Other studies have also observed different inhibitory effects against cancer cells from polysaccharides of different molecular weights. For example, Lu et al 23 reported that low molecular weight fucoidan is more effective than higher molecular form with respect to inhibiting the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells, whereas Zhu et al 54 observed a stronger antitumor effect for Cordyceps gunnii polysaccharides (over 1000 kDa). Thus, the molecular weight of the polysaccharide appears to be an important factor that dictates its anti-cancer activity, although further studies are needed to ascertain this point.…”

“…This P. yezoensis porphyran (PYP) has not been found in any other research studies . It has been reported that a low molecular weight has better antitumor activity, such as for fucoidan (2 kDa), chitooligosacccharide (0.2–3.0 kDa) and low molecular weight beta‐glucan (25 kDa). Accordingly, we prepared low‐molecular‐weight derivatives of the PYP by gamma irradiation degradation and investigated the antitumor activity of their derivatives.…”