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Fucoidan is an l-fucose-enriched sulfated polysaccharide isolated from brown algae and marine invertebrates. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of fucoidan from Fucus vesiculosus on alcohol-induced murine liver damage. Liver injury was induced by oral administration of 25% alcohol with or without fucoidan (30 mg/kg or 60 mg/kg) for seven days. Alcohol administration increased serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels, but these increases were suppressed by the treatment of fucoidan. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), a liver fibrosis-inducing factor, was highly expressed in the alcohol-fed group and human hepatoma HepG2 cell; however, the increase in TGF-β1 expression was reduced following fucoidan administration. Treatment with fucoidan was also found to significantly reduce the production of inflammation-promoting cyclooygenase-2 and nitric oxide, while markedly increasing the expression of the hepatoprotective enzyme, hemeoxygenase-1, on murine liver and HepG2 cells. Taken together, the antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory effects of fucoidan on alcohol-induced liver damage may provide valuable insights into developing new therapeutics or interventions.

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Technology development associated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) comprised of photosensitizer, light source, and light delivery system becomes active recently by the development of photosensitizer and related technologies. Clinical applications of PDT are expanded gradually to the therapy for psoriasis, age‐related macular degeneration, diabetes, infectious disease and cancers occurring in various organs etc. Specifically advances in technology development of drug delivery system using nanotechnology have given photosensitizer with a high selectivity and therapeutic efficacy for target cell or tissue. This review is focused on studies investigating recent R&D trend and clinical applications of photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy and the understanding technology trend and position of major nations through paper reviews and patent analysis research.

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