Fucoidan in Pharmaceutical Formulations: A Comprehensive Review for Smart Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

Fucoidan is a heterogeneous group of polysaccharides isolated from marine organisms, including brown algae and marine invertebrates. The physicochemical characteristics and potential bioactivities of fucoidan have attracted substantial interest in pharmaceutical industries in the past few decades. These polysaccharides are characterized by possessing sulfate ester groups that impart negatively charged surfaces, low/high molecular weight, and water solubility. In addition, various promising bioactivities have been reported, such as antitumor, immunomodulatory, and antiviral effects. Hence, the formulation of fucoidan has been investigated in the past few years in diverse pharmaceutical dosage forms to be able to reach their site of action effectively. Moreover, they can act as carriers for various drugs in value-added drug delivery systems. The current work highlights the attractive biopharmaceutical properties of fucoidan being formulated in oral, inhalable, topical, injectable, and other advanced formulations treating life-quality-affecting diseases. Therefore, the present work points out the current status of fucoidan pharmaceutical formulations for future research transferring their application from in vitro and in vivo studies to clinical application and market availability.

Photosynthetic Pigment and Carbohydrate Profiling of Fucus vesiculosus from an Iberian Coastal Lagoon

“…It is the most studied species of the genus Fucus with several benefits to human health, namely suppressing mineral deficiencies, displaying high iodine content and bioactive compounds, such as fucoidans and fucoxanthin [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Fucoidans, mainly derived from brown seaweeds, are a type of polysaccharide that contains substantial percentages of L-fucose and sulphate ester groups, also named as fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. These polysaccharides are particularly abundant in Fucus species and have been shown to display antitumor, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-coagulant, and antioxidant properties, although their bioactivities depend on the extent and position of sulphation [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

“…Fucoidans, mainly derived from brown seaweeds, are a type of polysaccharide that contains substantial percentages of L-fucose and sulphate ester groups, also named as fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. These polysaccharides are particularly abundant in Fucus species and have been shown to display antitumor, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-coagulant, and antioxidant properties, although their bioactivities depend on the extent and position of sulphation [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The photosynthetic pigment fucoxanthin is a light-harvesting carotenoid particularly abundant in brown seaweeds [ 17 ].…”

In situ evaluation of the impact of metformin or verapamil coadministration with vildagliptin on its regional absorption from the rabbit’s intestine

“…Different formulation approaches such as drug repurposing and nanoformulation have been done to improve the efficacy and biological activity of many drugs (El‐Ashmawy et al., 2021; Haggag et al., 2023; Ibrahim et al., 2022; Salem et al., 2022). Metformin, as a combination drug with vildagliptin, is one of the most common combination drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.…”

Comparative Bioactivities of Chemically Modified Fucoidan and λ-Carrageenan toward Cells Encapsulated in Covalently Cross-Linked Hydrogels

“…These polysaccharides in solution have been tested on different cell types in 2D environments. For example, fucoidan has been reported to possess anticancer, antioxidant, immunoregulatory, antiviral, antithrombic, and anti-inflammatory properties and downregulate the expression of molecules that are responsible for beta cell dysfunction. − Fucoidan also has been reported to protect beta cells from apoptosis resulting from various inflammatory conditions. , λ-Carrageenan has been reported to have antithrombic, antiviral, antitumor, and free-radical-scavenging properties. , However, they do not appear to have been tested in a 3D environment. Although λ-carrageenan in solution form has been reported previously to cause inflammation, formulations containing λ-carrageenan have been used for drug delivery applications and carrageenan-based gel formulations have been tested in human clinical trials .…”