Laminaria fucoidan

Li, N., Zhang, Q., and Song, J. 2005. Toxicological evaluation of fucoidan extracted from Laminaria Japonica in Wistar rats. Food Chem. Toxicol. 43, 421 26. 

Fucoidan Brown seaweeds (Laminaria religiosa, Nemacystus decipiens) Laminarin Brown seaweeds (Laminaria japonica, Saccharina latissima)... 

Dietary use of Laminaria dates back to the days of the First World War when it was used in raw form as a feed supplement for horses. It is used as a food, principally in Asian coimtries, where it is valued for its flavor, mineral content, and health giving benefits. The most important components with a medicinal point of view are Laminaria s polysaccharides. It contains alginates, laminarin, laminine, and fucoidan as well as a number of other polysaccharides and simple sugars. 

Kitamura, K., Matsuo, M., and Yasui, T. (1991). Fucoidan from brown seaweed Laminaria angustata var. longissima. Agric. Biol. Cliem. 55, 615-616. 

Mizuno, M., Nishitani, Y., Tanoue, T., Matoba, Y., Ojima, T., Hashimoto, T., and Kanazawa, K. (2009). Quantification and localization of fucoidan in Laminaria japonica using a novel antibody. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 73,335-338. 

Wang, J., Zhang, Q., Zhang, Z., Song, H., and Li, P. (2010). Potential antioxidant and anticoagulant capacity of low molecular weight fucoidan fractions extracted from Laminaria japonica. Int.. Biol. Macromol. 46, 6-12. 

The detoxifying effect of different seaweeds in a Wistar rat model indicates that the presence of sulfated polysaccharides is crucial in the liver protecting effect of macroalgae (Costa et ah, 2010). Other studies have evidenced the protective effect of seaweeds against liver toxicity induced by galactosamine in a rat model, concluding that this protecting effect is partly mediated by fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide from the brown seaweed Laminaria (Kawano et ah, 2007). 

The influence of seaweed intake on glucose metabolism has been shown in a pig animal model (Amano et ah, 2005 Hoebler et ah, 2000 Vaugelade et ah, 2000). Other studies deal with the effect of edible seaweeds (Kombu (Laminaria spp.) and Nori) and fucoidan from Laminaria japonica on lipid metabolism in a h)q5ercholesterolemic rat model (Amano et ah, 2005 Bocanegra et ah, 2006 Hoebler et ah, 2000) and prebiotic effect (Deville et ah, 2007). Prebiotic effect of Laminaria polysaccharide has been shown in the gut metabolism through its effects on mucosal composition, intestinal pH, and short chain fatty acids production (Deville et ah, 2007). 

Teruya, T, Takeda, S., Tamaki, Y., and Tako, M. (2010) Fucoidan isolated from Laminaria angustata var. longissima induced macrophage activation. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 74, 1960-1962. 

---