Fucoidan

Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide (MW: average 20,000) found mainly in various species of edible seaweed such as mozuku, kombu, bladderwrack, wakame, and hijiki (variant forms of fucoidan have also been found in some animal groupings, including the echinoderms). Fucoidan is used as an ingredient in some dietary supplement products. Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide (MW: average 20,000) found mainly in various species of edible seaweed such as mozuku, kombu, bladderwrack, wakame, and hijiki (variant forms of fucoidan have also been found in some animal groupings, including the echinoderms). Fucoidan is used as an ingredient in some dietary supplement products. Fucoidans are a group of fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs) that have a backbone built of (1→3)-linked α-l-fucopyranosyl or of alternating (1→3)- and (1→4)-linked α-l-fucopyranosyl residues, and also include sulfated galactofucans with backbones built of (1 → 6)-β-d-galacto- and/or (1 → 2)-β-d-mannopyranosyl units with fucose or fuco-oligosaccharide branching, and/or glucuronic acid, xylose, or glucose substitutions. These FCSPs offer several potentially beneficial bioactive functions for humans. The bioactive properties may vary depending on the source of seaweed, the compositional and structural traits, the content (charge density), distribution, and bonding of the sulfate substitutions, and the purity of the FCSP product. The preservation of the structural integrity of the FCSP molecules essentially depends on the extraction methodology which has significance for obtaining relationships between structure and function. Fucoidans have been the subject of preliminary studies to investigate claims for potential antioxidant, cognitive, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-hyperglycemic effects.