Fucoidan from Sargassum hemiphyllum inhibits the stemness of cancer stem cells and epithelial-mesenchymal transitions in bladder cancer cells

Exploring the potential of Fucoidan from Laminaria japonica: A comprehensive review of its biological activities and benefits for human

Laminaria japonica (L. japonica), a widely cultivated marine macroalga, has gained substantial attention in human nutrition due to its rich composition of carbohydrates, essential minerals, and vitamins. As one of the primary polysaccharides in L. japonica, fucoidan has demonstrated notable biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, cardiovascular protective effects, modulation of gut microbiota, and improvement of metabolic disorders, thereby holding significant potential in food and healthcare applications. Despite these recognized benefits, systematic reviews addressing the extraction and purification methodologies, structural elucidation, compositional analysis, and associated bioactivities of L. japonica-derived fucoidan remain limited. This review comprehensively examines current advancements in fucoidan extraction and purification techniques, discusses its structural characterization, and synthesizes recent findings on its multifaceted biological activities to explore its potential and significance in human health.

Preparation and property study of self-assembled nanoparticles from thiolated fucoidan and doxorubicin

In cancer therapy, addressing the tumor microenvironment remains a critical challenge. This study presented a novel drug delivery system based on thiolated fucoidan (FUC-SH), a marine-derived polysaccharide possessing immunomodulatory properties. FUC-SH was synthesized via cysteine conjugation and self-assembled with doxorubicin (DOX) to form stable nanoparticles through electrostatic interactions and disulfide crosslinking. These nanoparticles exhibited pH/GSH dual-responsive drug release properties, enabling selective drug release in tumor microenvironments. Characterization revealed an average particle size of 141.62 ± 16.94 nm, a Zeta potential of -23.1 ± 2.67 mV, and a high drug-loading efficiency (70.97 ± 1.70 %). Cellular assays demonstrated enhanced tumor-targeted cytotoxicity and immune-stimulating effects, including elevated ROS and cytokine production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. This study focused on in vitro evaluations and the findings highlighted the potential of FUC-SH/DOX nanoparticles as a multifunctional platform for tumor-targeted therapy, while the future studies planned to explore in vivo efficacy.

Combining ultrasound technology with targeted fucoidan/arginine-gelatin nanoparticles loaded with doxorubicin to enhance therapeutic efficacy and modulate bioeffects in drug-resistant triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) presents formidable challenges due to its aggressive nature and high recurrence rates, compounded by the involvement of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in its progression and metastasis. Standard chemotherapy, which typically employs doxorubicin (DOX), remains a primary treatment approach. However, multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanisms, which include ATP-binding cassette transporters and EMT, contribute to treatment failures. Ultrasound has emerged as a promising modality among the various strategies explored to address MDR in TNBC. It serves as a diagnostic tool and holds therapeutic potential by inducing various biological effects depending on the exposure level. Targeted nanoparticles offer a means to enhance drug delivery efficiency. Our study aims to advance ultrasound technology combined with biocompatible nanoparticles using simplified preparation methods to improve treatment outcomes for drug-resistant TNBC. In particular, employing DOX-loaded fucoidan/arginine-gelatin nanoparticles facilitated the targeted delivery of chemotherapy drugs to tumors by effectively interacting with P-selectin, resulting in tumor growth inhibition. Furthermore, these nanoparticles mitigated MDR and EMT, particularly when combined with ultrasound treatment. This integrated approach of nanoparticle delivery with ultrasonography opens up a promising and innovative avenue for clinical cancer research.

Polypyrrole/iron-glycol chitosan nanozymes mediate M1 macrophages to enhance the X-ray-triggered photodynamic therapy for bladder cancer by promoting antitumor immunity

X-ray Photodynamic Therapy (XPDT) is an emerging, deeply penetrating, and non-invasive tumor treatment that stimulates robust antitumor immune responses. However, its efficacy is often limited by low therapeutic delivery and immunosuppressant within the tumor microenvironment. This challenge can potentially be addressed by utilizing X-ray responsive iron-glycol chitosan-polypyrrole nanozymes (GCS-I-PPy NZs), which activate M1 macrophages. These nanozymes increase tumor infiltration and enhance the macrophages' intrinsic immune response and their ability to stimulate adaptive immunity. Authors have designed biocompatible, photosensitizer-containing GCS-I-PPy NZs using oxidation/reduction reactions. These nanozymes were internalized by M1 macrophages to form RAW-GCS-I-PPy NZs. Authors' results demonstrated that these engineered macrophages effectively delivered the nanozymes with potentially high tumor accumulation. Within the tumor microenvironment, the accumulated GCS-I-PPy NZs underwent X-ray irradiation, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). This ROS augmentation significantly enhanced the therapeutic effect of XPDT and synergistically promoted T cell infiltration into the tumor. These findings suggest that nano-engineered M1 macrophages can effectively boost the immune effects of XPDT, providing a promising strategy for enhancing cancer immunotherapy. The ability of GCS-I-PPy NZs to mediate M1 macrophage activation and increase tumor infiltration highlights their potential in overcoming the limitations of current XPDT approaches and improving therapeutic outcomes in melanoma and other cancers.

Fucoidan suppresses proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition process via Wnt/β-catenin signalling in hemangioma

Hemangioma is a common benign tumour that usually occurs on the skin of the head and neck, particularly among infants. The current clinical treatment against hemangioma is surgery excision, however, application of drug is a safer and more economical therapy for children suffering from hemangioma. As a natural sulfated polysaccharide rich in brown algae, fucoidan is widely recognized for anti-tumour bioactivity and dosage safety in humans. This study aims to demonstrate the anti-tumour effect and underlying mechanism of fucoidan against hemangioma in vivo and in vitro. We investigated the effects of fucoidan by culturing hemangioma cells in vitro and treating BALB/c mice bearing with hemangioma. At first, we measured the cell proliferation and migration ability through in vitro experiments. Then, we tested the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related biomarkers by western blot and qPCR. Furthermore, we applied β-catenin-specific inhibitor, XAV939, to determine whether fucoidan suppressed EMT via the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in hemangioma cells. In vivo experiments, we applied oral gavage of fucoidan to treat EOMA-bearing mice, along with evaluating the safety and efficacy of fucoidan. We found that fucoidan remarkably inhibits the proliferation and EMT ability of hemangioma cells, which is dependent on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These results suggest that fucoidan exhibits tumour inhibitory effect on aggressive hemangioma via regulating the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway both in vitro and in vivo, providing a new potent drug candidate for treating hemangioma.

Antitumor effects of polysaccharides from medicinal lower plants: A review

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, yet the drugs currently approved for cancer treatment are associated with significant side effects, making it urgent to develop alternative drugs with low side effects. Polysaccharides are natural polymers with ketone or aldehyde groups, which are widely found in plants and have various biological activities such as immunomodulation, antitumor and hypolipidemic. The lower plants have attracted much attention for their outstanding anticancer effects, and many studies have shown that medicinal lower plant polysaccharides (MLPPs) have antitumor activity against various cancers and are promising alternatives with potential development in the food and pharmaceutical fields. Therefore, this review describes the structure and mechanism of action of MLPPs with antitumor activity. In addition, the application of MLPPs in cancer treatment is discussed, and the future development of MLPPs is explored.

Antimetastatic effect of fucoidan against non-small cell lung cancer by suppressing non-receptor tyrosine kinase and extracellular signal-related kinase pathway

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Fucoidan, a polysaccharide content in brown algae, has been reported to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. The present study aimed to investigate the suppression effects of fucoidan on A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells migration.

MATERIALS/METHODS

The anti-migratory activity of fucoidan in A549 cells was examined by wound healing assay and phalloidin-rhodamine staining in response to fucoidan (0-100 µg/mL) treatment for 48 h. Western blot analysis was performed to clarify the protein expressions relevant to migratory activity.

RESULTS

Fucoidan (25-100 µg/mL) significantly suppressed A549 cells migration together with reduced the intensity of phalloidin-rhodamine which detect filopodia and lamellipodia protrusions at 48 h of treatment. The protein expression indicated that fucoidan significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), Src, and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK). In addition, the phosphorylation of p38 in A549 cells was found to be increased.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data conclude that fucoidan exhibits anti-migratory activities against lung cancer A549 cells mediated by inhibiting ERK1/2 and FAK-Src pathway.

Structure and Metabolically Oriented Efficacy of Fucoidan from Brown Alga Sargassum muticum in the Model of Colony Formation of Melanoma and Breast Cancer Cells

This work reports the detailed structure of fucoidan from Sargassum miticum (2SmF2) and its ability to potentiate the inhibitory effect of glycolysis inhibitor 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG). 2SmF2 was shown to be sulfated and acetylated galactofucan containing a main chain of alternating residues of 1,3- and 1,4-linked α-l-fucopyranose, fucose fragments with monotonous 1,3- and 1,4-type linkages (DP up to 3), α-d-Gal-(1→3)-α-L-Fuc disaccharides, and 1,3,4- and 1,2,4-linked fucose branching points. The sulfate groups were found at positions 2 and 4 of fucose and galactose residues. 2SmF2 (up to 800 µg/mL) and 2-DG (up to 8 mM) were not cytotoxic against MDA-MB-231 and SK-MEL-28 as determined by MTS assay. In the soft agar-based model of cancer cell colony formation, fucoidan exhibited weak inhibitory activity at the concentration of 400 µg/mL. However, in combination with low non-cytotoxic concentrations of 2-DG (0.5 or 2 mM), 2SmF2 could effectively inhibit the colony formation of SK-MEL-28 and MDA-MB-231 cells and decreased the number of colonies by more than 50% compared to control at the concentration of 200 µg/mL. Our findings reveal the metabolically oriented effect of fucoidan in combination with a glycolysis inhibitor that may be beneficial for a therapy for aggressive cancers.