Mar 10
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Fucoidan
The New Chicken of the Sea -
Although relatively new to western culture the medicinal properties of Fucoidans have been known to ancient cultures for some 3000 years of recorded history.
Fucoidan (pronounced like “few koy done”) is a sulfated polysaccharide and has long been recognized as a key to healthy long lives. It has been used for centuries as a medicine or dietary element in Japan, South America, and Europe and is found in over 8,000 species of sea plants. From ancient times (dating from the Jomon era, approximately before the 2nd Century BC onwards), brown seaweed has been a mainstay of the traditional Japanese diet. It is precisely these seaweeds that contain the U-Fucoidan that trigger the apoptosis mechanism. The inhabitants of Okinawa, Japan enjoy some of the highest life expectancies in Japan. Okinawans happen to have one of the highest per capita consumption rates of kombu — 1 gram per person per day. It is noteworthy that the cancer death rate in Okinawa is the lowest of all the prefectures in Japan. The average per capita consumption rate of kombu in Japan is approximately 0.5 grams per day. Such a serving of kombu would include roughly 5 mg of U-Fucoidan. In vivo experiments are currently underway to determine the effects of U-Fucoidan within living organisms. If it is confirmed that U-Fucoidan can help bring about apoptosis solely in cancer cells that are multiplying at uncontrolled rates, we would then have within our reach the long-dreamed-of cancer drug — one that does its job without causing adverse side effects.
Recent studies have found that “polysaccharides,” a class of dietary fiber contained in brown algae, have many health benefits for humans. Fucoidan’s health benefits first drew the attention of researchers in 1996, when the apoptosis (a form of cell death in which a programmed sequence of events leads to the elimination of cells without releasing harmful substances into the surrounding area.)-inducing action of this material was reported at “The 55th General Conference of The Japanese Cancer Association.” Fucoidan, a natural ingredient contained in the Okinawa sea vegetable Mozuku and Mekabu, for example, has been clinically shown to increase Natural killer cell activity as well as improve activation of Macrophage, T- cells and B-cells. In many of these studies, the researchers concluded that the disappearance or reduction of bad cells were due to the effect of Fucoidan to increase immunity and attack bad cells directly (an action called APOPTOSIS).
Numerous accounts have ascribed to Fucoidan properties such as the ability to act as an anti-contraceptive, to reduce cholesterol levels, and to act as an anti-tumor agent. However, a definitive consensus concerning the precise nature of Fucoidan has still not been reached.
The Biomedical Research Laboratories of Takara Shuzo and the Research Institute for Glycotechnology Advancement have focused their attention on the anti-tumor properties of Fucoidan, and have managed to confirm that this substance causes certain types of rapidly growing cancer cells to self-destruct. Examples of cancer cell strains where this self-destruct phenomenon was observed include human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60 cell line), human stomach cancer cells (AGS cell line), human colon cancer cells (HCT-116 cell line), and cancer cells of the descending colon (SW-480 cell line/WiDr cell line). Moreover, this self-destruction was observed to take place without affecting normal cells. Currently, efforts are underway to clarify the precise mechanism by which this phenomenon occurs. Some of the reasons which have until recently prevented the formation of a definitive scientific consensus concerning the precise nature of Fucoidan include the fact that it possesses an extremely complex structure, as well as the difficulty of obtaining pure samples of Fucoidan.
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Clinical studies have shown that FUCOIDAN can:
Decrease cholesterol levels resulting from the way that enzymes breakdown fatty acids in the liver.
Diabetes control by slowing down the release of glucose into the blood.
Lower blood pressure.
Improve liver function.
Improve immunity from increasing the production of immune cells or natural killer cells (NK cells)
Reduce stomach disorders
Skin rejuvenation by increasing the production of integrin, a protein that helps in skin repair and Firmness
Increase cell regeneration
Relieve allergies because of the increase of NK Cells
Arthritis relief by promoting the production of fibronetin which plays an important part in keeping joints flexible and lubricated
Herpes remedy because of fucoidan’s antiviral Properties
Stop formation of cancer cells through a process called apoptosis (cell self-destructing)
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To view clinical research on fucoidan click on the link below.
***Search Term Fucoidan***
For a more specific search: fucoidan/cancer or fucoidan/blood, for example.
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Numerous accounts have ascribed to Fucoidan properties such as the ability to act as an anti-contraceptive, to reduce cholesterol levels, and to act as an anti-tumor agent. However, a definitive consensus concerning the precise nature of Fucoidan has still not been reached.
The Biomedical Research Laboratories of Takara Shuzo and the Research Institute for Glycotechnology Advancement have focused their attention on the anti-tumor properties of Fucoidan, and have managed to confirm that this substance causes certain types of rapidly growing cancer cells to self-destruct. Examples of cancer cell strains where this self-destruct phenomenon was observed include human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60 cell line), human stomach cancer cells (AGS cell line), human colon cancer cells (HCT-116 cell line), and cancer cells of the descending colon (SW-480 cell line/WiDr cell line). Moreover, this self-destruction was observed to take place without affecting normal cells. Currently, efforts are underway to clarify the precise mechanism by which this phenomenon occurs. Some of the reasons which have until recently prevented the formation of a definitive scientific consensus concerning the precise nature of Fucoidan include the fact that it possesses an extremely complex structure, as well as the difficulty of obtaining pure samples of Fucoidan.
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References Details of the above discovery were disclosed at the 18th Annual Conference of the Carbohydrate Symposium (August 19-21, 2000), the 69th Annual Proceedings of the Japanese Biochemical Society (August 26-30, 2000), and the 55th Annual Proceedings of the Japanese Cancer Society (October 10-12, 2000).
Details concerning the Research Institute for Glycotechnology Advancement: With funding from the Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institute (a special legal person under the joint jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Ministry of Finance), Aomori prefecture, Hirosaki city, as well as eleven private sector companies, the Research Institute for Glycotechnology Advancement was founded in February 1991. The Institute ranks as a research organization operating under the auspices of the Intelligent Research Institute, a body that was formed as part of the overall efforts to promote the development of the Tohoku (northeast) area.
- Giraux JL, Matou S, Bros A, Tapon-Bretaudiere J, Letourneur D, Fischer AM. Modulation of human endothelial cell proliferation and migration by fucoidan and heparin. Eur J Cell Biol 1998; 77(4):352-359.
- Maruyama H, Tamauchi H, Hashimoto M, Nakano T. Antitumor activity and immune response of Mekabu fucoidan extracted from Sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida. In Vivo 2003; 17(3):245-249.
- Haneji K, Matsuda T, Tomita M et al. Fucoidan extracted from cladosiphon okamuranus tokida induces apoptosis of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1-infected T-cell lines and primary adult T-cell leukemia cells. Nutr Cancer 2005; 52(2):189-201.
- Liu JM, Bignon J, Haroun-Bouhedja F et al. Inhibitory effect of fucoidan on the adhesion of adenocarcinoma cells to fibronectin. Anticancer Res 2005; 25(3B):2129-2133.
- Koyanagi S, Tanigawa N, Nakagawa H, Soeda S, Shimeno H. Oversulfation of fucoidan enhances its anti-angiogenic and antitumor activities. Biochem Pharmacol 2003; 65(2):173-179.
- Alekseyenko TV, Zhanayeva SY, Venediktova AA, et al. Antitumor and antimetastatic activity of fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide isolated from the Okhotsk Sea Fucus evanescens brown alga. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2007 Jun;143(6):730-2.
- Nagamine T, Hayakawa K, Kusakabe T, et al. Inhibitory effect of fucoidan on Huh7 hepatoma cells through downregulation of CXCL12. Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(3):340-7.
- Colliec S, Fischer AM, Tapon-Bretaudiere J, et al. Anticoagulant properties of a fucoïdan fraction. Thromb Res. 1991 Oct 15;64(2):143-54.
- Irhimeh MR, Fitton JH, Lowenthal RM. Pilot clinical study to evaluate the anticoagulant activity of fucoidan. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis. 2009 Aug 18. [Epub ahead of print]
- Church FC, Meade JB, Treanor RE, Whinna HC. Antithrombin activity of fucoidan. The interaction of fucoidan with heparin cofactor II, antithrombin III, and thrombin. J Biol Chem. 1989 Feb 25;264(6):3618-23.
- Do H, Pyo S, Sohn EH. Suppression of iNOS expression by fucoidan is mediated by regulation of p38 MAPK, JAK/STAT, AP-1 and IRF-1, and depends on up-regulation of scavenger receptor B1 expression in TNF-alpha- and IFN-gamma-stimulated C6 glioma cells. J Nutr Biochem. 2009 Jul 1. [Epub ahead of print]
- Luo D, Zhang Q, Wang H, et al. Fucoidan protects against dopaminergic neuron death in vivo and in vitro. Eur J Pharmacol. 2009 Sep 1;617(1-3):33-40.
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