The Anti-cancer Effects of Fucoidan: a Review of Both in Vivo and in Vitro Investigations

Overview

Journal Cancer Cell Int

Publisher Biomed Central

Date 2020 May 16

PMID 32410882

Citations 61

Authors

Yuan Lin

Xingsi Qi

Hengjian Liu

Kuijin Xue

Shan Xu

Zibin Tian

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Fucoidan is a kind of the polysaccharide, which comes from brown algae and comprises of sulfated fucose residues. It has shown a large range of biological activities in basic researches, including many elements like anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-oxidation, anticoagulant, antithrombotic, anti-angiogenic and anti-Helicobacter pylori, etc. Cancer is a multifactorial disease of multiple causes. Most of the current chemotherapy drugs for cancer therapy are projected to eliminate the ordinary deregulation mechanisms in cancer cells. Plenty of wholesome tissues, however, are also influenced by these chemical cytotoxic effects. Existing researches have demonstrated that fucoidan can directly exert the anti-cancer actions through cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis, etc., and can also indirectly kill cancer cells by activating natural killer cells, macrophages, etc. Fucoidan is used as a new anti-tumor drug or as an adjuvant in combination with an anti-tumor drug because of its high biological activity, wide source, low resistance to drug resistance and low side effects. This paper reviews the mechanism by which fucoidan can eliminate tumor cells, delay tumor growth and synergize with anticancer chemotherapy drugs in vitro, in vivo and in clinical trials.

Citing Articles

The effects of Stemregen® host modulation therapy on experimentally induced apical periodontitis in rats.

Gonullu F, Ocak M, Dundar S, Ozercan I J Appl Oral Sci. 2025; 33:e20240446.

PMID: 39907413 PMC: 11816948. DOI: 10.1590/1678-7757-2024-0446.

Role of the AKT signaling pathway in regulating tumor-associated macrophage polarization and in the tumor microenvironment: A review.

Liang C, Wang S, Wu C, Wang J, Xu L, Wan S Medicine (Baltimore). 2025; 104(5):e41379.

PMID: 39889181 PMC: 11789917. DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000041379.

Elimination of Ethanol for the Production of Fucoidans from Brown Seaweeds: Characterization and Bioactivities.

Saravana P, Karuppusamy S, Rai D, Wanigasekara J, Curtin J, Tiwari B Mar Drugs. 2024; 22(11).

PMID: 39590773 PMC: 11595460. DOI: 10.3390/md22110493.

Understanding the relationship between breast cancer, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and gut microbiota: a narrative review.

Hrubesz G, Leigh J, Ng T Transl Breast Cancer Res. 2024; 5:31.

PMID: 39534584 PMC: 11557166. DOI: 10.21037/tbcr-24-14.

Systematic Characteristics of Fucoidan: Intriguing Features for New Pharmacological Interventions.

Jeong S, Lee S, Lee G, Hyun J, Ryu B Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(21).

PMID: 39519327 PMC: 11546589. DOI: 10.3390/ijms252111771.

References

Johnson C, Wei C, Ensor J, Smolenski D, Amos C, Levin B . Meta-analyses of colorectal cancer risk factors. Cancer Causes Control. 2013; 24(6):1207-22. PMC: 4161278. DOI: 10.1007/s10552-013-0201-5. View

Cho Y, Cho E, Lee J, Yu S, Kim Y, Kim C . Fucoidan-induced ID-1 suppression inhibits the in vitro and in vivo invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Biomed Pharmacother. 2016; 83:607-616. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.07.027. View

Boo H, Hong J, Kim S, Kang J, Kim M, Kim E . The anticancer effect of fucoidan in PC-3 prostate cancer cells. Mar Drugs. 2013; 11(8):2982-99. PMC: 3766877. DOI: 10.3390/md11082982. View

Herschbein L, Liesveld J . Dueling for dual inhibition: Means to enhance effectiveness of PI3K/Akt/mTOR inhibitors in AML. Blood Rev. 2017; 32(3):235-248. DOI: 10.1016/j.blre.2017.11.006. View

Kim K, Lee O, Lee H, Lee B . A 4-week repeated oral dose toxicity study of fucoidan from the Sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida in Sprague-Dawley rats. Toxicology. 2009; 267(1-3):154-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2009.11.007. View

Banafa A, Roshan S, Liu Y, Chen H, Chen M, Yang G . Fucoidan induces G1 phase arrest and apoptosis through caspases-dependent pathway and ROS induction in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. J Huazhong Univ Sci Technolog Med Sci. 2013; 33(5):717-724. DOI: 10.1007/s11596-013-1186-8. View

Wijesinghe W, Jeon Y . Enzyme-assistant extraction (EAE) of bioactive components: a useful approach for recovery of industrially important metabolites from seaweeds: a review. Fitoterapia. 2011; 83(1):6-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2011.10.016. View

Hehemann J, Correc G, Barbeyron T, Helbert W, Czjzek M, Michel G . Transfer of carbohydrate-active enzymes from marine bacteria to Japanese gut microbiota. Nature. 2010; 464(7290):908-12. DOI: 10.1038/nature08937. View

Cumashi A, Ushakova N, Preobrazhenskaya M, DIncecco A, Piccoli A, Totani L . A comparative study of the anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antiangiogenic, and antiadhesive activities of nine different fucoidans from brown seaweeds. Glycobiology. 2007; 17(5):541-52. DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwm014. View

10.

Kusaykin M, Bakunina I, Sova V, Ermakova S, Kuznetsova T, Besednova N . Structure, biological activity, and enzymatic transformation of fucoidans from the brown seaweeds. Biotechnol J. 2008; 3(7):904-15. DOI: 10.1002/biot.200700054. View

11.

Boo H, Hyun J, Kim S, Kang J, Kim M, Kim S . Fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida induces apoptosis in A549 human lung carcinoma cells. Phytother Res. 2011; 25(7):1082-6. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3489. View

12.

Huang T, Chiu Y, Chan Y, Chiu Y, Wang H, Huang K . Prophylactic administration of fucoidan represses cancer metastasis by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in Lewis tumor-bearing mice. Mar Drugs. 2015; 13(4):1882-900. PMC: 4413192. DOI: 10.3390/md13041882. View

13.

Hsu H, Lin T, Hwang P, Tseng L, Chen R, Tsao S . Fucoidan induces changes in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and decreases metastasis by enhancing ubiquitin-dependent TGFβ receptor degradation in breast cancer. Carcinogenesis. 2013; 34(4):874-84. DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgs396. View

14.

Kwak J . Fucoidan as a marine anticancer agent in preclinical development. Mar Drugs. 2014; 12(2):851-70. PMC: 3944519. DOI: 10.3390/md12020851. View

15.

Park H, Hwang H, Kim G, Cha H, Kim W, Kim N . Induction of apoptosis by fucoidan in human leukemia U937 cells through activation of p38 MAPK and modulation of Bcl-2 family. Mar Drugs. 2013; 11(7):2347-64. PMC: 3736427. DOI: 10.3390/md11072347. View

16.

Wang J, Zhang Q, Zhang Z, Song H, Li P . Potential antioxidant and anticoagulant capacity of low molecular weight fucoidan fractions extracted from Laminaria japonica. Int J Biol Macromol. 2009; 46(1):6-12. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2009.10.015. View

17.

Hsu H, Lin T, Hu C, Shu D, Lu M . Fucoidan upregulates TLR4/CHOP-mediated caspase-3 and PARP activation to enhance cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in human lung cancer cells. Cancer Lett. 2018; 432:112-120. DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.05.006. View

18.

Wang S, Zhang X, Guan H, Wang W . Potential anti-HPV and related cancer agents from marine resources: an overview. Mar Drugs. 2014; 12(4):2019-35. PMC: 4012449. DOI: 10.3390/md12042019. View

19.

Kuznetsova T, Besednova N, Mamaev A, Momot A, Shevchenko N, Zvyagintseva T . Anticoagulant activity of fucoidan from brown algae Fucus evanescens of the Okhotsk Sea. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2004; 136(5):471-3. DOI: 10.1023/b:bebm.0000017096.72246.1f. View

20.

Chung H, Jeun J, Houng S, Jun H, Kweon D, Lee S . Toxicological evaluation of fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifidain vitro and in vivo. Phytother Res. 2010; 24(7):1078-83. DOI: 10.1002/ptr.3138. View