Molecular Mechanism of Anti-Inflammatory Activities of a Novel Sulfated Galactofucan from Saccharina japonica

Abstract

Seaweed of Saccharina japonica is the most abundantly cultured brown seaweed in the world, and has been consumed in the food industry due to its nutrition and the unique properties of its polysaccharides. In this study, fucoidan (LJNF3), purified from S. japonica, was found to be a novel sulfated galactofucan, with the monosaccharide of only fucose and galactose in a ratio of 79.22:20.78, and with an 11.36% content of sulfate groups. NMR spectroscopy showed that LJNF3 consists of (1→3)-α-l-fucopyranosyl-4-SO3 residues and (1→6)-β-d-galactopyranose units. The molecular mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effect in RAW264.7 demonstrated that LJNF3 reduced the production of nitric oxide (NO), and down-regulated the expression of MAPK (including p38, ENK and JNK) and NF-κB (including p65 and IKKα/IKKβ) signaling pathways. In a zebrafish experiment assay, LJNF3 showed a significantly protective effect, by reducing the cell death rate, inhibiting NO to 59.43%, and decreasing about 40% of reactive oxygen species. This study indicated that LJNF3, which only consisted of fucose and galactose, had the potential to be developed in the biomedical, food and cosmetic industries.

Formulation, Optimization and In Vivo Evaluation of Fucoidan-Based Cream with Anti-Inflammatory Properties

“…Hu et al (2014) associated the analgesic effect of fucoidan after intrathecal injection with inhibition of spinal astrocytic and microglial activation, proinflammatory mediator production, and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) activation. This hypothesis is supported by recent studies, which indicate suppression of the production of TNF-α, prostaglandins, and interleukins [13,14], as well as potent inhibition of kinases, including ENK, JNK, Akt [16], and MAPK p38 [12], by fucoidan. The rationality of topical application of formulations with fucoidan was confirmed in our recent study [47], in which fucoidan was found in the skin, plasma, and striated muscles.…”

“…Due to the complexity of inflammation processes, there is an urgent need for the development of new and safe anti-inflammatory agents with multiple mechanisms of action. Anti-inflammatory mechanisms described for fucoidan include scavenging of free radicals [11,12], suppression of the production of nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), prostaglandin E2, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6 [13,14], selective inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 [12], and downregulation of the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase p38, Akt, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ENK), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) [15,16].…”

Marine-Derived Compounds for the Potential Treatment of Glucocorticoid Resistance in Severe Asthma

“…Fucoidan, purified from Saccharina japonica, reduced the production of NO, and downregulated the expression of the MAPK (including p38, ENK and JNK) and NF-κB (including p65 and IKKα/IKKβ) signaling pathways in a zebrafish experiment [91].…”

Sulfated Galactofucans: An Outstanding Class of Fucoidans with Promising Bioactivities

“…In addition, previous studies, with the aid of advanced spectral analyses, i.e., 2D NMR (e.g., HMQC, TOCSY, and NOESY) and mass spectrometry, have attempted to reveal many structural features of G-fucoidans of various biogenic sources, including glycosidic linkages, sugar configuration, branching sites, sulfation pattern, and galactose position [ 6 , 63 , 64 ]. In addition, they could deduce tentative structure bioactivity relationships, as in the case of the anti-inflammatory mechanism of galactofucan isolated from Saccharina japonica [ 65 ].…”