Prospects for the therapeutic application of sulfated polysaccharides of brown algae in diseases of the cardiovascular system: review

Abstract

Context: Fucoidans are water-soluble, highly sulfated, branched homo-and hetero-polysaccharides derived from the fibrillar cell walls and intercellular spaces of brown seaweeds of the class Phaeophyceae. Fucoidans possess mimetic properties of the natural ligands of protein receptors and regulate functions of biological systems via key signaling molecules. Objectives: The aim of this review was to collect and combine all available scientific literature about the potential use of the fucoidans for diseases of cardiovascular system. Materials and methods: The review has been compiled using references from major databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Elsevier, Springer and Google Scholar (up to September 2015). After obtaining all reports from database (a total number is about 580), the papers were carefully analyzed in order to find data related to the topic of this review (129 references). Results: An exhaustive survey of literature revealed that fucoidans possess a broad spectrum of biological activity, including anti-coagulant, hypolipidemic, anti-thrombotic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, anti-adhesive and anti-hypertensive properties. Numerous investigations of fucoidans in diseases of the cardiovascular system mainly focus on pleiotropic anti-inflammatory effects. Fucoidans also possess pro-angiogenic and pro-vasculogenic properties. Conclusion: A great number of investigations in the past years have demonstrated that fucoidans has great potential for in-depth investigation of their effects on cardiovascular system. Through this review, the authors hope to attract the attention of researchers to use fucoidan as mimetic of natural ligand receptor protein with the view of developing new formulations with an improved therapeutic value. ARTICLE HISTORY

Characterization of Exopolysaccharides Produced by Thermophilic Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Tropical Fruits of Thailand

“…29,30) In the present study, we isolated the EPS-producing thermophilic LAB strains from tropical fruits of Thailand and investigated the health benefits of the EPSs from the LAB strains. As a strategy, it is significant to know whether an EPS exhibits antiinflammatory properties.…”

Characterization of the SN35N Strain-Specific Exopolysaccharide Encoded in the Whole Circular Genome of a Plant-Derived <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i>

“…Lb. buchneri CD034 and Lactococcus lactis NIZO B20, harboring plasmids designated pCD034-3 51) and pNZ4000, 52) respectively, have been reported to carry the EPS-biosynthesizing gene cluster, such as a Lb. plantarum SN35N plasmid pSN35N-3.…”

Use of Marine Compounds to Treat Ischemic Diseases

“…Despite their potential for drug design, very few marine-derived carbohydrates are being developed commercially as therapeutics (see box 2). More attention has been paid to the structure and composition of these marine carbohydrates during the past 30 years, mainly because they form viscous gels in water that remain stable in the presence of many different additives [5,6]. Agar derived from the agarose found in the cell walls of red algae is used as a natural vegetable gelatine.…”

“…Extracts from over 60 species of brown, red and green seaweed have been reported to exhibit anticoagulant capacity [5,6,57]. The main active components are sulphated polysaccharides [70], although not all sulphated carbohydrates possess anticoagulant activity [56,71,72].…”