Description

• General description: Fucoidan is a fucose-rich, sulfated polysaccharide isolated from several species of brown seaweed.
• Application: Fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus may be used as a biological response modifier and as a potential therapeutic agent with a wide range of biological activities. It may be used to study its pharmacokinetics, safety, efficacy and methods of delivery as a potential anticancer, anti-immune and anti-inflammatory agent. Fucoidan may be used to assess its potential and formulations for tissue engineering applications.
• Biochem/physiol Actions: Studies of fucoidan have found it to have a broad variety of biological activities including antitumor and antiangogenic activities, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antithrombotic, and antioxidant activities. Fucoidan induces macrophage activation with subsequently activates mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and results in natural killer cell proliferation. Fucoidan acts as a nonselective selectin blocker and has been shown to induce apoptosis and suppress angiogenesis.
• Preparation Note: Prepared by a modification of the method of Black, W.A.P., et al., J. Sci. Food Agri., 3, 122 (1952).
• Other Notes: To gain a comprehensive understanding of our extensive range of Polysaccharides for your research, we encourage you to visit our Carbohydrates Category page.