Immunomodulatory Properties of Photopolymerizable Fucoidan and Carrageenans

Abstract Innovative approaches to the control of immune response to tissue engineering scaffolds is of high priority. IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, has traditionally been conjugated to synthetic polymers for local immunomodulation. Marine-sulfated polysaccharides have been reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties. In the present work, it was hypothesized that photopolymerizable fucoidan and carrageenan play similar roles as the IL-10. The polysaccharides were functionalized with methacrylate groups. Their immunomodulatory properties were evaluated and compared relative to IL-10. The polysaccharides were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, revealing 12-13% functionalization. The data revealed that fucoidan had the same activity as the IL-10 in decreasing LPS- and IFN-γ-stimulated CD86 expression. In addition, fucoidan had a protective role against LPS- and IFN-γ-induced cell growth inhibition. All polysaccharides demonstrated ∼90% superoxide radical scavenging and they considerably decreased LPS-stimulated nitric oxide production. These results suggest that photopolymerizable fucoidan can be an alternative to IL-10 in the design of immunomodulatory biomaterials.