Daeui at 05:56, 23 April 2008

2008-04-23T05:56:24Z

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Fucoidan is a <a title="Sulfate" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfate">sulfated</a> <a title="Polysaccharide" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysaccharide">polysaccharide</a> (<a class="mw-redirect" title="Molecular weight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_weight">MW</a>: average 20,000) found mainly in various species of brown <a title="Seaweed" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaweed">seaweed</a> such as <a title="Kombu" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombu">kombu</a>, <a title="Limu" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limu">limu</a> moui, <a class="mw-redirect" title="Bladderwrack" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bladderwrack">bladderwrack</a>, <a title="Wakame" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakame">wakame</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" title="Mozuku" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozuku">mozuku</a>, and <a title="Hijiki" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijiki">hijiki</a> (variant forms of fucoidan have also been found in animal species, including the <a title="Sea cucumber" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_cucumber">sea cucumber</a>).
Substantial <a class="mw-redirect" title="Pharmaceutical" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical">pharmaceutical</a> research has been done on fucoidan, focusing primarily on two distinct forms: F-fucoidan, which is >95% composed of sulfated <a title="Ester" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ester">esters</a> of <a title="Fucose" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucose">fucose</a>, and U-fucoidan, which is approximately 20% <a title="Glucuronic acid" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucuronic_acid">glucuronic acid</a>. As a consequence of this research, U-fucoidan and F-fucoidan are now being marketed as a <a title="Nutraceutical" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutraceutical">nutraceutical</a>, a supposed "miracle drug", and a <a class="mw-redirect" title="Food supplement" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_supplement">food supplement</a>.<a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucoidan#cite_note-0">[1]</a>
Researchers began studying fucoidan around 1970, and since that time fucoidan has been cited in approximately 700 studies published in the <a class="mw-redirect" title="National Library of Medicine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Library_of_Medicine">National Library of Medicine</a>'s database. The overall findings of this large body of research, coupled with anecdotal evidence provided by a long history of use of fucoidan-bearing seaweed in areas such as Japan, Hawaii and Tonga, indicate that fucoidan demonstrates great potential as a safe nutritional answer for a wide variety of health complaints.<a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucoidan#cite_note-1">[2]</a> Fucoidan is found in the sea plant called <a title="Limu" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limu">Limu</a> Moui.
A study <a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucoidan#cite_note-2">[3]</a> released in 2005 by Japanese researchers have indicated that F-fucoidan can induce <a title="Apoptosis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apoptosis">apoptosis</a> in human <a title="Lymphoma" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphoma">lymphoma</a> <a class="mw-redirect" title="Cell line" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_line">cell lines</a>; as well, French researchers showed in 2002 <a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucoidan#cite_note-3">[4]</a> that F-fucoidan can inhibit <a title="Hyperplasia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperplasia">hyperplasia</a> in <a title="Rabbit" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit">rabbits</a>.
<a id="References" name="References"></a>
<h2>References</h2>
<ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-0"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucoidan#cite_ref-0">^</a> "<a class="external text" title="http://www.takara-bio.com/news_e/1999/07/15.htm" href="http://www.takara-bio.com/news_e/1999/07/15.htm" rel="nofollow">Discovered that the polysaccharide F-fucoidan contained in the seaweed kombu can induce the production of HGF (Hepatocyte Growth Factor) in vivo experiment</a>", Biotechnology Research Laboratories of Takara, 15 July 1999.<span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.type=newspaperArticle&rft.subject=News&rft.title=Discovered+that+the+polysaccharide+F-fucoidan+contained+in+the+seaweed+%27%27kombu%27%27+can+induce+the+production+of+HGF+%28Hepatocyte+Growth+Factor%29+%27%27in+vivo%27%27+experiment&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.takara-bio.com%2Fnews_e%2F1999%2F07%2F15.htm&rft.publisher=Biotechnology+Research+Laboratories+of+Takara&rft.date=15+July+1999">  </li>
<li id="cite_note-1"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucoidan#cite_ref-1">^</a> Elkins, Rita, Limu Moui, prize Sea Plant of the South Pacific, Woodland Publishing, 2001 </li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucoidan#cite_ref-2">^</a> <cite style="FONT-STYLE: normal">Aisa Y; Miyakawa Y; Nakazato T; Shibata H; Saito K; Ikeda Y; Kizaki M (2005 Jan). "Fucoidan induces apoptosis of human HS-sultan cells accompanied by activation of caspase-3 and down-regulation of ERK pathways". American Journal of Hematology 78 (1): 7–14. <a class="external" title="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15609279" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15609279">PMID 15609279</a> <a title="Digital object identifier" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier">doi</a>:<a class="external text" title="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajh.20182" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajh.20182" rel="nofollow">10.1002/ajh.20182</a>.</cite><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Fucoidan+induces+apoptosis+of+human+HS-sultan+cells+accompanied+by+activation+of+caspase-3+and+down-regulation+of+ERK+pathways&rft.jtitle=American+Journal+of+Hematology&rft.date=2005+Jan&rft.volume=78&rft.issue=1&rft.au=Aisa+Y%3B+Miyakawa+Y%3B+Nakazato+T%3B+Shibata+H%3B+Saito+K%3B+Ikeda+Y%3B+Kizaki+M&rft.pages=7%E2%80%9314">  </li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucoidan#cite_ref-3">^</a> <cite style="FONT-STYLE: normal">Jean-François Deux; Anne Meddahi-Pellé; Alain F. Le Blanche; Laurent J. Feldman; Sylvia Colliec-Jouault; Françoise Brée; Frank Boudghène; Jean-Baptiste Michel; Didier Letourneur (2002). "<a class="external text" title="http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/22/10/1604" href="http://atvb.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/22/10/1604" rel="nofollow">Low Molecular Weight Fucoidan Prevents Neointimal Hyperplasia in Rabbit Iliac Artery In-Stent Restenosis Model</a>" (PDF). Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 22: 1604. <a title="Digital object identifier" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier">doi</a>:<a class="external text" title="http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1161/01.ATV.0000032034.91020.0A" href="http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1161/01.ATV.0000032034.91020.0A" rel="nofollow">doi:10.1161/01.ATV.0000032034.91020.0A</a>.</cite><span class="Z3988" title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Low+Molecular+Weight+Fucoidan+Prevents+Neointimal+Hyperplasia+in+Rabbit+Iliac+Artery+In-Stent+Restenosis+Model&rft.jtitle=Arteriosclerosis%2C+Thrombosis%2C+and+Vascular+Biology&rft.date=2002&rft.volume=22&rft.au=Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois+Deux%3B+Anne+Meddahi-Pell%C3%A9%3B+Alain+F.+Le+Blanche%3B+Laurent+J.+Feldman%3B+Sylvia+Colliec-Jouault%3B+Fran%C3%A7oise+Br%C3%A9e%3B+Frank+Boudgh%C3%A8ne%3B+Jean-Baptiste+Michel%3B+Didier+Letourneur&rft.pages=1604&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fatvb.ahajournals.org%2Fcgi%2Freprint%2F22%2F10%2F1604">  </li>
</ol>
<a id="External_links" name="External_links"></a>
<h2>External links</h2>
<ul>
<li><a class="external text" title="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed" rel="nofollow">Pubmed Search</a> National Library of Medicine's Database. (Type in Fucoidan into search box, to narrow search add a "/"and a disease or condition. e.g.: fucoidan/cancer, fucoidan/diabetes) </li>
</ul>

Fucoidan - Revision history

Daeui at 05:56, 23 April 2008