The Therapeutic Potential of the Anticancer Activity of Fucoidan: Current Advances and Hurdles

doi:10.3390/md19050265

Review

. 2021 May 10;19(5):265.

doi: 10.3390/md19050265.

The Therapeutic Potential of the Anticancer Activity of Fucoidan: Current Advances and Hurdles

Jun-O Jin^{1

2

3}, Pallavi Singh Chauhan⁴, Ananta Prasad Arukha⁵, Vishal Chavda⁶, Anuj Dubey⁷, Dhananjay Yadav²

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.
² Department of Medical Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea.
³ Research Institute of Cell Culture, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea.
⁴ Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior 474005, India.
⁵ Comparative Diagnostic and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA.
⁶ Division of Anaesthesia, Sardar Women's Hospital, Ahmedabad 380004, Gujarat, India.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, ITM Group of Institutions, Gwalior 475005, India.

PMID: 34068561
PMCID: PMC8151601
DOI: 10.3390/md19050265

Review

The Therapeutic Potential of the Anticancer Activity of Fucoidan: Current Advances and Hurdles

Jun-O Jin et al. Mar Drugs. 2021.

. 2021 May 10;19(5):265.

doi: 10.3390/md19050265.

Authors

Jun-O Jin^{1

2

3}, Pallavi Singh Chauhan⁴, Ananta Prasad Arukha⁵, Vishal Chavda⁶, Anuj Dubey⁷, Dhananjay Yadav²

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China.
² Department of Medical Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea.
³ Research Institute of Cell Culture, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea.
⁴ Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior 474005, India.
⁵ Comparative Diagnostic and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA.
⁶ Division of Anaesthesia, Sardar Women's Hospital, Ahmedabad 380004, Gujarat, India.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, ITM Group of Institutions, Gwalior 475005, India.

PMID: 34068561
PMCID: PMC8151601
DOI: 10.3390/md19050265

Abstract

Several types of cancers share cellular and molecular behaviors. Although many chemotherapy drugs have been designed to weaken the defenses of cancer cells, these drugs may also have cytotoxic effects on healthy tissues. Fucoidan, a sulfated fucose-based polysaccharide from brown algae, has gained much attention as an antitumor drug owing to its anticancer effects against multiple cancer types. Among the anticancer mechanisms of fucoidan are cell cycle arrest, apoptosis evocation, and stimulation of cytotoxic natural killer cells and macrophages. Fucoidan also protects against toxicity associated with chemotherapeutic drugs and radiation-induced damage. The synergistic effect of fucoidan with existing anticancer drugs has prompted researchers to explore its therapeutic potential. This review compiles the mechanisms through which fucoidan slows tumor growth, kills cancer cells, and interacts with cancer chemotherapy drugs. The obstacles involved in developing fucoidan as an anticancer agent are also discussed in this review.

Keywords: anticancer activity; brown algae; cytotoxic effects; fucoidan; tumor growth.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
The chemical structures of fucoidan of two different backbones (A,B). R shows the potential places for attachment of carbohydrate (α-l-fucopyranose and α-d-glucuronic acid) and noncarbohydrate (sulfate and acetyl groups) substituents, adapted from [21].

**Figure 2**
Fucoidan binds to specific types of receptors in macrophage cell membranes and activates MAPKs, which further prompt the activation of transcription factors, adapted from [25].

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

1. Synytsya A., Kim W.-J., Kim S.-M., Pohl R., Synytsya A., Kvasnička F., Čopíková J., Park Y.I. Structure and antitumour activity of fucoidan isolated from sporophyll of Korean brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida. Carbohydr. Polym. 2010;81:41–48. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2010.01.052. - DOI
1. Oliveira C., Neves N.M., Reis R.L., Martins A., Silva T.H. A review on fucoidan antitumor strategies: From a biological active agent to a structural component of fucoidan-based systems. Carbohydr. Polym. 2020;239:116131. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.116131. - DOI - PubMed
1. Costa L., Fidelis G., Cordeiro S.L., Oliveira R., Sabry D.d.A., Câmara R., Nobre L., Costa M., Almeida-Lima J., Farias E. Biological activities of sulfated polysaccharides from tropical seaweeds. Biomed. Pharmacother. 2010;64:21–28. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2009.03.005. - DOI - PubMed
1. Dörschmann P., Bittkau K.S., Neupane S., Roider J., Alban S., Klettner A. Effects of fucoidans from five different brown algae on oxidative stress and vegf interference in ocular cells. Mar. Drugs. 2019;17:258. doi: 10.3390/md17050258. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Garcia-Vaquero M., Ummat V., Tiwari B., Rajauria G. Exploring ultrasound, microwave and ultrasound–microwave assisted extraction technologies to increase the extraction of bioactive compounds and antioxidants from brown macroalgae. Mar. Drugs. 2020;18:172. doi: 10.3390/md18030172. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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[1] Synytsya A., Kim W.-J., Kim S.-M., Pohl R., Synytsya A., Kvasnička F., Čopíková J., Park Y.I. Structure and antitumour activity of fucoidan isolated from sporophyll of Korean brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida. Carbohydr. Polym. 2010;81:41–48. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2010.01.052. - DOI

[2] Synytsya A., Kim W.-J., Kim S.-M., Pohl R., Synytsya A., Kvasnička F., Čopíková J., Park Y.I. Structure and antitumour activity of fucoidan isolated from sporophyll of Korean brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida. Carbohydr. Polym. 2010;81:41–48. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2010.01.052. - DOI

[3] Oliveira C., Neves N.M., Reis R.L., Martins A., Silva T.H. A review on fucoidan antitumor strategies: From a biological active agent to a structural component of fucoidan-based systems. Carbohydr. Polym. 2020;239:116131. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.116131. - DOI - PubMed

[4] Oliveira C., Neves N.M., Reis R.L., Martins A., Silva T.H. A review on fucoidan antitumor strategies: From a biological active agent to a structural component of fucoidan-based systems. Carbohydr. Polym. 2020;239:116131. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.116131. - DOI - PubMed

[5] Costa L., Fidelis G., Cordeiro S.L., Oliveira R., Sabry D.d.A., Câmara R., Nobre L., Costa M., Almeida-Lima J., Farias E. Biological activities of sulfated polysaccharides from tropical seaweeds. Biomed. Pharmacother. 2010;64:21–28. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2009.03.005. - DOI - PubMed

[6] Costa L., Fidelis G., Cordeiro S.L., Oliveira R., Sabry D.d.A., Câmara R., Nobre L., Costa M., Almeida-Lima J., Farias E. Biological activities of sulfated polysaccharides from tropical seaweeds. Biomed. Pharmacother. 2010;64:21–28. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2009.03.005. - DOI - PubMed

[7] Dörschmann P., Bittkau K.S., Neupane S., Roider J., Alban S., Klettner A. Effects of fucoidans from five different brown algae on oxidative stress and vegf interference in ocular cells. Mar. Drugs. 2019;17:258. doi: 10.3390/md17050258. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[8] Dörschmann P., Bittkau K.S., Neupane S., Roider J., Alban S., Klettner A. Effects of fucoidans from five different brown algae on oxidative stress and vegf interference in ocular cells. Mar. Drugs. 2019;17:258. doi: 10.3390/md17050258. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[9] Garcia-Vaquero M., Ummat V., Tiwari B., Rajauria G. Exploring ultrasound, microwave and ultrasound–microwave assisted extraction technologies to increase the extraction of bioactive compounds and antioxidants from brown macroalgae. Mar. Drugs. 2020;18:172. doi: 10.3390/md18030172. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[10] Garcia-Vaquero M., Ummat V., Tiwari B., Rajauria G. Exploring ultrasound, microwave and ultrasound–microwave assisted extraction technologies to increase the extraction of bioactive compounds and antioxidants from brown macroalgae. Mar. Drugs. 2020;18:172. doi: 10.3390/md18030172. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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The Therapeutic Potential of the Anticancer Activity of Fucoidan: Current Advances and Hurdles

Affiliations

The Therapeutic Potential of the Anticancer Activity of Fucoidan: Current Advances and Hurdles

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

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Cited by

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources