Fucoidan, a major component of brown seaweed, prohibits the growth of human cancer cell lines in vitro

Abstract

Abstract. Fucoidan, the general term for sulfated polysaccharides, is reported to engage in various biological activities having anti-tumor, anti-coagulation and anti-viral effects. Though it has been investigated, the mechanism of its antitumor effects remains elusive. The current study examined the anti-tumor effects of fucoidan extracted from Okinawa mozuku on 15 human cancer cell lines (6 hepatocellular carcinomas, 1 cholangiocarcinoma, 1 gallbladder cancer, 2 ovarian cancers, 1 hepatoblastoma, 1 neuroblastoma and 3 renal cancers) using an MTT assay. Changes in apoptosis and the cell cycle were analyzed by flow cytometry. The results revealed that cell proliferation was suppressed in 13 cell lines in a time-and/or dose-dependent manner; this suppression was marked in the hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder carcinoma cell lines. In contrast, proliferation of the neuroblastoma and 1 of the 2 ovarian carcinoma cell lines was not affected. The ratio of apoptotic cells significantly increased in 5 of the 6 hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, and the ratio of G 2 /M cells increased in the 3 hepatocellular cell lines examined. These observations indicate that fucoidan is a potential anti-tumor agent for the treatment of bile duct cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma and gall-bladder carcinoma.

Microbial Fucoidan Degradation byLuteolibacter algaeH18 with Deacetylation

“…Many kinds of algae are traditionally used as a variety of foods, especially in East Asia, and have received considerable attention over the years as wholesome foods. Recent studies have found that fucoidans show various biological activities, including anticoagulant, 1) antiviral, 2) antitumoral, 3) and immunomodulating activities.…”

Anti-tumor activity of fucoidan is mediated by nitric oxide released from macrophages

“…Previous studies have shown that fucoidan has significant biological activities, such as anti-bacterial (2), anti-viral (3), anti-coagulant (4), anti-oxidant (5), anti-inflammatory (4,6) and immunomodulatory effects (2,7). Other studies also described anti-carcinogenic properties (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). For example, in vitro studies demonstrated that fucoidan can inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell death in numerous cell lines, including human bile duct cancers (8), nonsmall-cell bronchopulmonary carcinoma (9) and lymphoma (10).…”

“…Previous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated the anti-cancer properties of fucoidan, including the suppression of growth (8,9,12,13), metastasis (11,15), angiogenesis (11,14), and the induction of apoptosis (8,10,32) and autophagy (32) in a variety of cancer cells. In the present study, fucoidan was effective in inhibiting the growth of implanted S-180 cells, but this effect was not mirrored in the in vitro studies.…”

“…Other studies also described anti-carcinogenic properties (8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). For example, in vitro studies demonstrated that fucoidan can inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell death in numerous cell lines, including human bile duct cancers (8), nonsmall-cell bronchopulmonary carcinoma (9) and lymphoma (10). It is also reported to inhibit the invasion of HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells and the angiogenic activity of HeLa human uterine carcinoma cells (11).…”

Fucoidan, A Sulfated Polysaccharides from Brown Algae as Therapeutic Target for Cancer

“…Fucoidan at 1.0 mg/ml concentration increased the G0/G1-phase population in hepatocarcinoma cell line (Huh7) accompanying by a decrease in the S phase, suggesting that fucoidan may cause the cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase [86]. Fucoidan suppressed cell proliferation and arrest cell cycle in HCC cell lines (HAK-1A, KYN-2, KYN-3) and increased number of cells in the G2/M phase at 72 h after the addition of the fucoidan (22.5 μg/ml) [87]. Also identified that fucoidan induced the accumulation of cells in G1/S phase of the cell cycle of HUT-102 cells (T-cell lymphoma) [28] and non-small-cell human bronchopulmonary carcinoma (NSCLC-N6) cells [25].…”