Immune modulation
Extensive research undertaken on the immunomodulatory properties of fucoidans demonstrates a range of beneficial effects.
Published papers have reported that fucoidans from Undaria pinnatifida and Fucus vesiculosus can stimulate both innate and adaptive immune defence functions (Myers, 2011; Hayashi, 2008).
Research has shown that fucoidans can:
- Boost the host immune response by activating key immune cells, including T cells and Natural Killer cells (Apostolova, 2020).
- Activate pro-inflammatory cytokines to mediate the innate immune response and enhance immune system cell activity (Hayashi, 2008; Apostolova, 2020).
- Increase the production of the immune marker Immunoglobulin G (IgG) (Mathew, 2017).
- Increase the number and release of CD34+ haemopoietic stem cells (Irhimeh, 2007).
- Support the differentiation of stem cells in innovative biomaterials (Kwack, 2022).
- Block the entry of viruses into cells and inhibit the adhesion of viruses to host cells (Fitton, 2015; Pradhan, 2022).
- Reduce allergic responses in oral and topical applications (Yang, 2012; Tian, 2019; Vo, 2020; Herath, 2020).
Fucoidans produced by Marinova
In a clinical study involving healthy subjects, high purity fucoidan produced by Marinova demonstrated its ability as an immune priming agent by increasing cytotoxic T cell and Natural Killer cell levels after 3 days (Myers, 2011). Over the 28-day study period, there was a continual increase in phagocytic activity of monocytes and granulocytes. Such an increase in immuno-modulatory activity may be useful as a preventative for infections such as seasonal colds and flu. In a further study, Marinova’s high purity fucoidans significantly enhanced the immune function of cancer affected mice (Mathew, 2017). The key immune marker Immunoglobulin G (IgG) was significantly increased relative to controls after 1 week. IgG is the main type of human antibody which helps control infections by binding to pathogens (such as viruses and bacteria) and alerts circulating immune cells. IgG is often suppressed in cancer patients.
The ingestion of high purity fucoidan extracted from Undaria pinnatifida has been shown to increase the number and release of CD34+ haemopoietic stem cells after 4 days in humans (Irhimeh, 2007). Fucoidan produced by Marinova has also demonstrated a marked increase in chemokine receptors, SDF-1 and CXCR4, on stem cells which may increase their availability to tissues. In the context of tissue healing and regeneration, fucoidan has also been shown to support the differentiation of stem cells in biomaterials (Kwack, 2022).
In a clinical study, patients with active herpes infections (HSV1, HSV2, Epstein-Barr virus, or herpes zoster) showed increased healing rates following oral doses of Marinova’s Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan (Cooper, 2002). In the same study, patients with latent infections remained asymptomatic while ingesting the fucoidan. Marinova’s fucoidans have been shown to be effective against norovirus (Hanisch, 2021; Tan, 2022). Studies suggest they are also beneficial in the management of acute viral respiratory infections, particularly Influenza A (Richards, 2020).