• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.204-212
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biological activity of fucoidan, a sulfur-containing polysaccharide, on cytotoxicity and apoptosis in the human HT-29 colorectal cancer cell line using cell viability, Flow cytometry, Western blot, and RT-PCR analyses. Fucoidan inhibited the proliferation of HT-29 cells by 39.6% at a concentration of 100 ㎍/mL for 72 h. The inhibition was dose-dependent and accompanied by apoptosis. Flow cytometric analysis showed that fucoidan increased early apoptosis and late apoptosis by 65.84% and 72.09% at concentrations of 25 and 100 ㎍/mL, respectively. Analysis of the mechanism of these events indicated that fucoidan-treated cells exhibited increases in the activation of caspase-3, caspase-8, and PARP in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that fucoidan may inhibit the growth of human colorectal cancer cells by various apoptosis-promoting effects, as well as by apoptosis itself.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 2008

Algal fucoidan is a marine polysaccharide containing sulfur with a wide variety of biological activities including anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic effects. Although antioxidants can inhibit inflammatory signals through inhibiting activator protein-1 and/or nuclear factor-kappaB activation, it is obscure whether fucoidan directly scavenges oxy-radicals or indirectly regulates oxidant production and/or antioxidant defense system. The antioxidant activities of fucoidan against peroxyl radicals, peroxynitrites and hydroxyl radicals were determined by the total oxy-radical scavenging capacity (TOSC) assay. The specific TOSC values of fucoidan against peroxyl radicals, peroxynitrites or hydroxyl radicals were $282{\pm}60$, $43{\pm}1$ or $40{\pm}1\;TOSC/mg/mL$, respectively. These specific TOSC values against peroxyl radicals, peroxynitrites or hydroxyl radicals are 23, 12, or 13% of the specific TOSC values of glutathione, a positive control, respectively. These results suggest that fucoidan has direct oxy-radical scavenging capacity, which may be related with anti-inflammatory effect of fucoidan.