fucoidan

Fucoidan is a **fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharide** obtained from brown algae and some marine organisms, used as a nutraceutical and investigated as a therapeutic bioactive compound. It is not a single well-defined small molecule but a heterogeneous natural product whose composition varies by species, extraction method, molecular weight, and sulfation pattern. Across the provided sources, fucoidan has been studied clinically and preclinically in **rheumatoid arthritis**, **Helicobacter pylori infection**, **hepatocellular carcinoma**, colorectal cancer supportive care, metabolic disease, and other inflammatory or oncologic settings. Its reported pharmacology is pleiotropic rather than target-selective, with evidence for **scavenger receptor-A inhibition**, downregulation of **MAPK signaling** such as ERK and p38, suppression of inflammatory cytokines including MCP-1, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, modulation of Th1/Th17 versus Th2/Treg responses, and in cancer models induction of cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis through mitochondrial and caspase-dependent pathways. Because the exact active composition depends on the fucoidan source and preparation, development is best viewed as a heterogeneous natural-product category centered on the same broad active ingredient rather than a single standardized pharmaceutical asset.

Other names

褐藻浓缩粉岩藻多糖fucoidan polysaccharideoligo-fucoidanfucoidan enriched powder